Chapter 15
Falmart, somewhere above the road leading to Italica, beginning of the afternoon
Black-Scales admired the view below him from the Airship's deck. He had to admit it, it was quite a sight. It wasn't the first time but the Argonian couldn't help but notice the similarities of the local countryside with Daggerfall farmlands.
Speaking of farmlands, there's something that has been bugging me, I need to find Cyrus
As he headed towards the inner parts of the ship, his gaze was suddenly drawn to one of the Knights they had sent in patrol who was also admiring the view. Unlike him though, he seemed more unsure about the ordeal.
"First time being aboard an Airship, Sir?" Black-Scales asked as he approached him.
The Knight turned his gaze to him, a surprised expression on his face.
"... yes. I mean it's not my first time seeing one, air balloons are nothing new in High Rock but actually being on one? That's something else. Seems like the bèstias, sorry, the beasts are having less problems than me."
The Argonian nodded in agreement. "I remember my first time too, I was very impressed." He then extended his hand to the Knight. "Black-Scales Dumarais*, Nightblade of the Shadow Legion."
The other man shook it. "Sénher Ramon of Blackmore, knight-errant. Now forgive me for prying, but your accent and name…"
"Yes, I am from the city of Daggerfall if that's what you're asking."
"I knew I had recognized the Capital's accent when I heard you talk. I've been here a few times for work. It's nice to meet a countryman."
Black-Scales smiled. "Likewise. But you said you've been to the Capital before? Wanting to join the Knights of the Dragon?"
Ramon paled before shaking his head. "By the Nine Divines! I wouldn't dream of it! Helping them from time to time but joining? I am not involving myself in local politics lest I end up dead from poison or with my throat slit."
"Ah yes, my time in Cyrodiil almost made me forget the local flavour of politics."
The two men shared a laugh.
"Now, if you will excuse me Sir Ramon, duty calls," the Argonian said.
"Of course, take care, good Sir," the Breton waved at him.
As Black-Scales entered the inner parts of the ship, he asked a nearby crewman about Cyrus' location.
"The other Battlemage? He went into the cabin on the other side of the corridor with a girl carrying a halberd."
The Argonian thanked him before making his way towards the indicated door. He knocked upon it.
"You can enter, Black-Scales," Cyrus' voice said.
Upon opening the door, the Argonian noticed his comrade meditating on the floor in the direction facing him with his eyes closed, while Rory seemingly slept on the room's only bed.
"How did you know it was me?"
The Cyrod opened his eyes. "You can call it instinct."
"Riiight..." Black-Scales deadpanned before gazing upon the sleeping Apostle on the bed. "I must tell, she's actually looking adorable when she ain't doing creepy faces."
Rory suddenly shifted in her sleep, prompting the Nightblade to hold his breath. He finally released his breath when he realized she was just dreaming.
"Why are you here anyway? Keeping an eye on her?"
"Yes," the Necromancer simply answered.
Black-Scales' face hardened. "You don't believe she could become hostile or a threat?"
Cyrus got up, looking briefly at the sleeping girl, before turning back to his comrade. He shook his head. "No, she was genuine in befriending us. It's something else. I believe there's quite some ugly feud between her and the local Goddess who opened the Rift but she is still unwilling to say what it is."
"Oooh, I see. You care about her?" the Argonian mockingly asked before elbowing playfully his comrade in the sides. "So, you're like her new Dad?"
Cyrus stared at him.
"Her new big brother then?" He tried more diplomatically. Come on, smile a bit at least!
"I think Rory is afraid of her."
That got the Argonian's attention whose serious attitude returned. "Shouldn't her God protect her?"
Cyrus shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, there's a lot we still don't know even if I'm working on finding out."
"Mmmh," his comrade nodded in agreement. "By the way, Cyrus, there was something that was bothering me and I think it might be important."
"I'm listening."
"It's what I heard two bandits discussing. Apparently, a family of three peasants arrived by the mountain pass and paid them to continue their path without bloodshed. One of them found it strange that they had enough while mentioning he used to be a peasant himself. He also mentioned that the merchants they robbed didn't have as much as them. Coming from a rural background yourself, what do you make of it?"
"A peasant family of three crossing a mountainous pass with enough gold to buy their way out of the bandits…" the Heartlander crossed the arms over his chest.
"It might be nothing," Black-Scales added, "but it did sound strange that three peasants would travel alone with that much gold on them. But I don't know as much about their habits as you."
Cyrus briefly closed his eyes to think about the issue before nodding. "You were right. Something is definitely amiss here. Peasants can sometimes travel alone but mostly between neighboring towns and villages. When they need to go to the big city to sell their products or buy special materials, they travel in large groups, even in Cyrodiil where the roads are relatively safe. Large groups discourage most attackers."
"And they were only three and coming from a mountainous road, potentially treacherous given what we have seen so far from the local highways. If we can even call them that," the Argonian mused before looking at his comrade. "They can't have been actual peasants, right?"
The other Battlemage confirmed his thoughts with a nod. "I highly doubt it. Whoever they were, they wanted to conceal their identity but obviously had little knowledge about peasants' lifestyle."
"Yeah and given the local society, I wouldn't be surprised if they were only considered barely above the slaves," Black-Scales said while spitting at the last word. "If they had a motive for concealing themselves, who do you think they might have been?"
"Mmm… Nobles? Without an escort? Probably fleeing from a lost political quarrel. Merchants? Perhaps but unlikely. Spies? Possible."
The Argonian blinked in surprise at the last suggestion. "Spies? That would make sense but if they were sent here… we need to warn every Battlemages and our troops stationed at Italica to be cautious about a wandering family of three peasants then."
"Agreed, we'll need to report to the Captain."
"Right"
Cyrus sat back in his meditation pose as Black-Scales turned around to walk back to the door. Before he could open it, his friend suddenly said something that made him stop in his steps.
"You wish to know."
The Argonian spinned around, being suddenly caught off-guard. "Pardon?"
"About Valenwood…"
His eyes widened. Was Cyrus actually serious? Of course he is.
"You don't have to tell me, I would understand..."
"But you still wish to know."
It wasn't an accusatory tone but a simple neutral affirmation.
"Cyrus, I don't think…"
His comrade cut him off by raising his hand. "No, I am fine. Or at least better than before. I am healing and I can face it. In fact I must."
The Argonian remained quiet.
"The campaign was… something. A lot happened." He briefly stopped with thoughtful eyes, like trying to remember events. "But what matters here is the end. We ran into an elite Dominion mage. Too strong for even Jing and I working together. We failed and got captured, we were more valuable alive. They didn't know where to bring us until a Thalmor told them about a special facility. So they took us here."
Sudden moans coming from Rory interrupted his story. They both looked at her and saw that she was having another dream.
"The facility was entirely Thalmor-ran," Cyrus continued. "They took over our interrogation. It took them… I don't know how long, but they managed to break through our mental defences to know… everything, even some of our most hidden secrets." He inhaled a deep breath before looking his friend dead in the eye. "That's how I first learned Jing was a Tharn."
Black-Scales covered his mouth in shock. "Merciful Stendarr, they… they used them against you?"
"More or less…" Cyrus remembered as he instinctively passed his hand over his chest. But it's not mine they used against me. But that, that wasn't something he was going to tell, not even to Black-Scales. I failed her once, I won't fail her twice.
"Then, they left us with a choice. One of us would undergo their… 'treatment' I think they called it and the other would be left unharmed as long as their comrade endured the torture. I think you can guess what happened next."
Once again, the room became silent, save for their breathing.
Black-Scales finally spoke. "You volunteered." It was more an affirmation than a question.
A nod was his answer. "I did. And that's about all I can clearly remember. Nothing until I 'awoke' months after the incident. It's from Caranya that I learned everything that I missed like the end of the war and how she watched over me during all this time. And apparently, I was a war hero, the Emperor had decorated me at the Hospital where I was evacuated."
He raised up and tightened his right fist while clenching his teeth, breaking his usual neutral mask of emotions. His friend blinked in surprise at the show of emotions.
"You know what else I learned? That in spite of sacrificing months of my life, my own mind and other things… I wasn't able to fully protect Jing as I swore to do! She had been marked by the incident!"
The Argonian tried to argue back that it wasn't his friend's fault but Cyrus continued.
"I was ashamed by my weakness and full of anger, at them and myself. So I did the next best thing I could : I trained."
"You… trained?"
"Yes, I spent all my days practicing for when I would eventually reintegrate the corps. I had to."
His comrade rubbed his neck awkwardly. "You know, I tried to visit you but Caranya told me you weren't in the right state of mind."
"I wasn't. I barely spoke to her… there was only one person of the three that visited me that I interacted on a 'relatively normal basis'."
"Uh?" What did he mean? Caranya and him always had a close relationship since I knew them
"A friend?"
"Mmm…" Cyrus suddenly regained his usual calm composure. He looked at the ceiling, seemingly searching for something. "A friend? I could call him that I guess." Memories flowed in his mind.
Faster Cyrus!
Focus! You have yet to touch this one
You can't always take the blame for something that isn't of your doing
Follow as this one does : be better
"I trained with him. It's him who taught me advanced meditation techniques, it helped me recover from the worst in the end and become 'operational'." He once again touched his chest. "I don't think I'll ever be able to fully heal from… everything. But I need to move on and stop blaming myself or acting like a lone wolf. I can't change the past but I can choose who I will become."
Wise words, the Nightblade mused.
"I'm sorry… for everything Jing and you went through," he said while grasping one of his arms. "If I can do something…"
"You can't," the Cyrod cut him. "Just like I can't erase Jing's memories. We have to move on and endure it."
The Argonian shook his head, saddened by his comrade's words. As he was about to leave, the Nibenese once again surprised him.
"You know, of the four of us, you're the one who accomplished the most."
He raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
"You got your parents and younger siblings a cozy mansion in a nice residential district from what I've heard. It may not seem like much, sbut I know how much it means for you. Congratulations are in order."
Black-Scales' mouth widened in a smile. "Thank you."
Meanwhile, City of Italica, Barracks
Caranya hastily summoned a ward to protect herself from an incoming clanfear's charge. The daedra impacted against it but she held ground before channeling a quick lightning spell in her other hand to counterattack. The beast cried in agony as the magic disintegrated it. She looked in the direction facing her.
Her Dark Seducer, Stelia, was 'dancing' around Jing's slower Xivilai, using her speed and agility to dodge any attacks while occasionally cracking her lightning whip. The bigger daedra grunted, his natural shock weakness increasing the damages received, before smashing his warhammer into the ground only for Stelia to narrowly avoid it. The shockwave created by the impact projected the Mazken.
As the Altmer prepared to go to her summon's aid, she suddenly felt a tingling on her nape. She quickly cast a spell as a large frost ball impacted her. She felt rejuvenated as the ball's magicka was absorbed into her own thanks to the absorption spell she had enveloped herself with before looking at the other end of the training area. Jing was there, no doubt preparing for her next move.
The Battlemage officer had noted the shift in her subordinate's attitude since her mother had arrived. Having nothing better to do, she had proposed to her to spar together. The other woman had readily accepted, eager to take her mind off the current situation. Rules were simple, first one to yield or become incapacited loses.
A crowd had been watching them since they began. A few soldiers, mainly spellswords, were taking notes. This was the occasion for them to see Battlemages in action and formulate strategies and tactics to deal with similar opponents. Others were simply enjoying the 'show'.
This was Tuka's case. She had come initially to train her archery but had quickly found she enjoyed watching the two women's sparring session more .
They are incredible! she mentally gushed with stars in her eyes. I wish I was as strong and beautiful as them! Her cheeks reddened. Had she just thought that?
Her ears suddenly perked at a nearby discussion between two spellswords.
"Who do you think is going to win?"
"Hard to say. The size and location of the training area prevents them from using their full arsenal. In the case of the Captain, she seems more disadvantaged. While she does know how to counter direct spells thrown at her as well as being quick on her feet, Battlemage Jing seems more skilled in conjuration and Sorcery in general. She can just rely on her summons to do the dirty work for her."
Tuka looked back at the scene. Arguably, she hoped Caranya would win. Not that she had any ill-will towards Jing, on the contrary. But the Captain was an elf like her and it would be nice for once to have one winning over a human.
Caranya reflected in her situation. She couldn't use her lightning form to instantly close the gap between her and the Easterner to engage her in close fight. The Sorceress would just summon her bound armor and sword, forcing her on the defensive till she surrendered. A paralysis spell? Jing would surely be able to resist it. Catching her off-guard with a reflect spell? That occasion had passed, the frost ball from earlier had no doubt been intended to test Caranya's reaction. Jing knew her proficiency in Mysticism, she wouldn't make that mistake. Well I could always call a lightning strike on her but that would be overkill
Her thoughts were cut short when the Easterner woman summoned more daedra to help, two Dremora Lords, one Daedroth and a Winged Twilight.
By Akatosh, she isn't pulling punches, is she?
She had to be quick. She immediately used her telekinesis to lift the downed Stelia to put her back on her feet and gave her the order to deal with the flying daedra. The Seducer sprouted from her back a pair of magical bat-wings before launching herself to the sky, beginning a deadly aerial ballet with the other female fiend.**
The Altmer then switched the other daedra who were dangerously approaching her. With but a gesture, she cast a mass paralysis spell on them. Only one of the two Dremora and the Xivilai resisted it. The Battlemage officer launched yet another assault but this time by targeting them with a powerful burden spell to somewhat slow them. She then took advantage of the fact they were stuck in place to trap them into a lightning wall, making sure to eliminate them before either of her spells could wear off before focusing her attention on the aerial battle.
The Sorceress had summoned yet another Twilight to help the first one against the Mazken. On her own, Stelia was easily stronger than either of them but her shape lacked the aerodynamic profile of her adversaries (the Twilights being more bat-like as opposed to simply gaining wings). So far, the Seducer was reduced to chasing them, only for the other daedra to ambush her after feigning retreat. Caranya immediately targeted one of them with a lightning strike, instantly blasting the fiend back to Oblivion while Stelia took advantage of the other's sudden surprise to grab her with her whip.
The sound of a roar brought the Altmer back to the land battle. Jing's Xivilai had finally broken through the burden spell and was now coming for her. The Altmer brought her hands together, channeling a powerful thunderstorm to finish off the creature. Her subordinate immediately noted it and knew that whatever was going to happen next would decide the issue of this bout.
"This is Commander Sejanus. Captain Caranya, do you receive me?"
The sudden communication stopped the young woman dead in her act. She immediately called the spar out with a ball of light before calling out Stelia. Jing did the same with her remaining summons.
"Sir! This is Captain Caranya listening!"
"Good, I have a, let's say, 'special' assignment for your team."
"Sir?"
"Nothing to worry about. Earlier this morning, I witnessed this 'Flame Dragon' attacking what appeared to be a group of refugees, two women and a group of children. They would have perished had I not intervened to chase away the beast."
So the Commander's soft-hearted too? the Altmer mused, who would have thought?
"I suppose you're asking us to take care of them?"
"Yes, I already directed them towards one of your patrols but I wouldn't have contacted you if there wasn't more to it. You see, they happen to be Mer… I mean Elves, local ones that is."
Caranya blinked in surprise. "Elves?"
"Yes," her superior confirmed. "But not like the child you recovered. We have reports of the existence of what appear to be two local races, fair-skinned and generally blonde-haired and others, rather dark-skinned and white-haired. They belong to the second category. Now we don't know much about them so far but since you have the child with you… maybe she could help communicate with them. At the very least explain who they are. Well, do your best, she's just a child and an orphan to boot."
"Of course, Sir, as you command!"
"Very well, Sejanus out." The telepathic communication cut short.
"What was it, Captain?" Jing asked as she approached.
"Commander Sejanus just informed me he rescued a bunch of refugees from the Flame Dragon and sent them towards us. Interesting fact, they happen to be local Elves but not like Tuka."
The other woman tilted her head. "Not like her? Do you mean like a different race?"
"Seems so."
The crowd dissipated after it was clear the spar was truly over. Most were disappointed by the abrupt conclusion.
"Malacath's toe! This is bullshit!"
"Consider yourself lucky gambling is forbidden while on duty. Can you imagine if people had wagered their pay?"
"Show's over! Back to drills, soldiers!" Caranya ordered them.
They briefly saluted her. "Yes Ma'am!"
Tuka grumbled a bit. The bout had been fantastical and she wouldn't forget any of it! But on the other hand she had really wanted to see the end. The Captain looked as she was about to cast a powerful spell and end the fight but now she would never know what it was!
"Tuka!"
She immediately gazed in the direction where her name had been called to see Caranya and Jing walking towards her. She went to meet them.
"Captain Caranya, Lad… Ma'am Jing! That was a great fight!" the elf teenager exclaimed wide-eyed.
"Why, thank you. I assume you liked it?"
She nodded. "It was incredible! Your magic is so… awesome!"
Caranya smiled. She was glad to see her in such a positive state of mind.
"Glad you thought so. There's however something we'd like you to help us with."
"Anything Ma'am!" she responded immediately, imitating the Imperial salute she had seen legionnaire done so many times.
The Altmer repressed a small laugh. She's so cute
"That's the spirit!" she praised her. "Now unto the mission proper. We've received news that elven refugees will be here soon and we'd like you to help us to communicate with them. Can you do that?"
Tuka blinked in surprise. "A group of elves? Of course I'll help!"
"Thank y…" something rang. The Captain took her communication device before activating her. "Must be the patrol, right on time. Here's Captain Caranya listening."
"Greetings, Madam. Dame Eléonore, at your service," a heavily Bretonic accented voice answered here. "I took the freedom of contacting you due to encountering… well, a group of skeleton horses carrying unconscious locals. What appears to be their leader claims he is… working? for Magus-Commander Sejanus. They carry our sigil."
"That is correct. You are to take custody of the locals and bring them immediately to us. Do they look unharmed to you?"
They were a few seconds of wavering before the female knight spoke again. "Not that I can see but I am no healer."
"Not a problem. We'll take care of them once you come back."
"As you command, Madam." The stone stopped glowing, indicating the end of the transmission.
As Caranya put her back in her pocket, she indicated Jing and Tuka to follow her. "We're going to house them at our Hospital for now. It's safe and they should have everything we need."
As they crossed the city's streets, they could see how it had improved since they first came. A few buildings still needed to be fixed but all in all, the anxiety they had felt when they arrived had seemingly vanished. A few people even waved at them which they returned.
"Feeling better?" Caranya suddenly asked Jing in aldmeri.
The Easterner woman got out of her thoughts. "Ma'am?"
"Are you feeling better after that little bout of ours?" the Altmer insisted. "It looked as if you needed it."
They had reached the Forum where it was market's day. Merchants were screaming to attract potential clients. A few local Beast-folk were there, some that the two Nirnian women hadn't seen until now. They were strikingly similar to Werewolves, if Werewolves were the size of Men and Mer and wore clothing.
Is it actually surprising those look actually more like classical Beast-folk than almost all the others we've seen so far? What a strange world, the Altmer thought.
Jing's voice drew her attention elsewhere.
"Indeed, I felt better after spending my energy. It was a good idea, thank you, Ma'am."
If you think I'm gonna let you off the hook like that, you are kidding yourself, Caranya thought. She was gonna to press her further until she saw something else.
Two legionnaires walked towards them and saluted both women.
"Captain, Battlemage!"
"At ease, soldiers," the Altmer told them. "Anything to report?"
"Nothing Ma'am! City's mostly calm so far from what we've heard from the other patrol. The locals seem to trust us enough to ask us for help from their own volition."
"Good, we'll be here for a while and I don't know whether we'll get a few more centuries as reinforcement."
"Forgive me for asking, Ma'am, but about the criminals that we apprehended, what is to be done?" the other legionnaire questioned.
"I… can't say for certain," she hesitated. "That's for the Princess to decide. For the moment, she seems content with locking them up but then it's a bit early to tell. Anyway, the Battlemage, the child and I will be on our way, we have an important matter to attend to. Dismissed, soldiers!"
"Yes Ma'am!"
As they continued towards the Field Hospital, Caranya spoke again. "About earlier, did that sudden need to spend energy had anything to do with Councilor Mei's presence?"
Jing didn't reply but she looked somber than usual.
"I'm not asking as your superior but as your concerned friend, Jing."
"... it's humiliating," the other woman finally snapped.
The Altmer's golden eyes stared at her from behind her helmet.
"Of all the people they could have sent, it had to be her!"
Tuka was taken aback by the outburst and, unable to understand the tongue they spoke in, was worried something dire had happened.
"It's nothing," Caranya told the girl to reassure her, "we are just discussing… some personal matters, nothing serious."
The young elf nodded and continued to follow them.
"You know there could be hundreds of reasons for why she's here without them being tied to you," the Altmer told her friend.
The Easterner woman snorted, her helmet hiding a false smirk, "Of course! It is surely a coincidence they sent this Councilor, who by the way was still in the Capital a few days ago, to act as a diplomat instead of a regular ambassador. You're becoming paranoid, Jing!"
Her Captain deadpanned. Yeah, in hindsight that was pretty stupid of myself. She took a deep breath.
"Look," she began diplomatically, "I understand how you might feel. But put yourself in her shoes, she was worried sick about you."
"So what? I can't take care of myself? I am a Battlemage, damnit!"
"You know, it's not very different from me keeping an eye on Cyrus."
"... maybe," she conceded, "But you're not his mother."
She smiled despite the seriousness of the situation. Well actually, sometimes I am
"You know some would dream to have a mother like your own," Caranya admitted. She grasped her friend's shoulder. "She loves you very much. You want to reassure her? Show her how much you improved and she will feel proud of you."
The Sorceress released a breath before nodding at her words. "You're right. I apologize for earlier. It's just…"
The Altmer motioned her hand to cut her off. "I know…" she replied in a soft tone, "If you ever want to talk… know that I'm here."
Jing nodded at her and even though it was hidden by her closed helmet, Caranya knew her friend was smiling at her.
"I'd just wish she would trust me more," the Tharn scion added.
"I think she does, in a way."
Gardens of the Italica's Palace
Piña had invited Lady Mei to the terrace where Countess Myu had been earlier this morning as she found the environment more favorable to receive a noble Lady. Delilah, as always, arrived with a plate to serve tea.
"Thank you," Jing's mother said to the servant as she served her then, turning towards the Princess, "I hope you'll appreciate my first gift, your Highness. I had the servants brew a typical drink from my homeland."
The redhead took this as an invitation to sip from her drink. It was unlike anything she ever tasted. "That's quite delicious! May I know its composition, Lady Councilor?"
The older woman smiled. "Some herbs that we grow in Nibenay, we have several different varieties and they are all popular in some way in Tamriel. I'm however afraid I can't tell you their actual names as I'm not even sure if they are present here. But perhaps you'll be interested in trading?"
"Definitely," the Princess replied with a smile of her own. We barely started and she already took control of the conversation. "Later, perhaps," she replied as she took another sip. "I've heard quite a lot about you Lady Councilor Mei." Piña paused a bit. "May I call you Lady Mei? Forgive me but it's a bit awkward to have to say both titles every time." Don't flush Piña! Don't flush! she mentally kicked herself.
"Of course, your Highness, you may if you prefer a more cordial tone to this discussion. Which does not displease me, on the contrary," the older woman answered with a warm smile. "So, you were saying?"
"I was told that your family, the Tharn, are very old. And, from what I've come to understand, serving as Battlemages run in your very blood. I must say I am quite intrigued."
So, she did her homework. Nicely done, young girl, Mei thought with respect as she drank her tea.
"That is correct, your Highness. I assume it was Cyrus who told you that?"
Piña blinked. Of course, it made sense he would have reported he had exchanges with her. "Well, not exactly word for word. We talked over tea after I invited him and Centurion Marius to thank them for saving my friend Lady Bozes and I during the battle. I wanted to learn more about them and they told us about their people. Since I know your family are noble 'Nibeneses', I think that's the word, I figured out you were part of this 'Battlemage aristocracy'."
The Tharn woman could have clapped at her. "You're exactly as I was said you were, Princess, astute and very resourceful, especially in the unorthodox position you are." As well a woman in that society of barbarians, Mei mused with a hint of venom. "The making of a great leader."
Oh Gods! Don't show you're blushing at the compliment, don't show it! She took a deep breath to calm herself. "You flatter me, my Lady. But may I know from whom you've heard such wild tales?"
"Wild tales?" the Easterner questioned as she waved her finger negatively, "when asked about you, Lady Livia Sartorius couldn't stop singing praises to anyone who wished to hear them, including our Emperor. As I see you now, I can say she was definitely not exaggerating."
Piña's eyes widened. Their Emperor knew about her? By Emroy! This is even better than what I imagined! And Lady Livia is alive too? I had no idea she felt so much respect about me. Damnit! Time is not to gush, focus!
"Then again, you are an Imperial Princess. I imagine that is what is expected of you, being an heir to the throne."
The Saderan Princess froze. What game was the Councilor playing? There was no way she hadn't been informed about Saderan customs concerning women, at the very least Battlemage Cyrus should have told her. Was she testing her?
She glanced at her reflection inside her cup. She had no idea how much they knew about her, would they see her as lesser for being the child of the concubine? So far honesty has been my best card, besides they need me as much I need them if they want peace, the girl reasoned.
Unbeknownst to her, Mei was gauging the girl. She looked a bit older than Princess Theodora and yet so much was already resting on her shoulders. Truthfully, the older woman had a good feeling about her. She was strong, few people could have handled what the girl before her went through in the span of three days.
"I'm afraid you have the wrong idea about me, Lady Mei. While it is true I am a recognized child of our Emperor, Molt Sol Augustus, I am merely his daughter from a concubine."
Mei frowned before stirring her tea with a spoon. It wasn't that Piña was not born from a lawful marriage that bothered her, it was the mention of taking concubines. Now it wasn't an unheard practice in Tamriel, the Altmer Kings before the Thalmor used to have official royal concubines and the Bretons had somehow the same concept with "official mistresses". But to the Children of Alessia? Of all the Merish tradition her Nibenese kin had adopted, this wasn't one of them. And thank the Divines for that.
"I admit I did not know that. We do not practice this...custom in Cyrodiil." Her tone of voice hadn't shifted in spite of her personal distaste.
The Princess looked at her, puzzled. She also made a mental note that the Councilor had said Cyrodiil instead of Tamriel. "You do not? Why?"
"Forgive me if I appear abrupt but did Cyrus explain to you the meaning of a marriage in our culture?"
The redhead bit her lip, embarrassed at the mere suggestion. "I did ask him if political marriages were practiced in your homeland but aside that… I admit it didn't come up."
Mei's smirk was hidden by the cup she brought to her lips. Political marriages, heh? Tssk, tssk, tssk.
"True, it would have been a strange subject to talk about for a first meeting."
Piña rolled her eyes despite her best judgement. Was the woman teasing her like Bozes earlier now?
"When two people are wed to each other, be for love or interest, they are united under the eyes of Mara, the Goddess of Love. It is a union, a sacred partnership if you prefer. Now it is sadly true that loveless marriages happen and sometimes people seek comfort elsewhere. It is known but definitely not endorsed, it is considered cheating on the other partner and betraying their trust. In those cases, we prefer to end the marriage." Her hand tightened around her cup but her face remained neutral. "Taking a concubine in Cyrodiil is considered a triple insult, to the legally wed woman for 'replacing her', to the concubine for not properly wedding her and using her to fill a gap and lastly to Mara, for mocking the vows of marriage celebrated under her name. It is also hardly fair to women, as male concubines are very much unheard."
The Princess listened attentively to her before musing on her own past. Piña had been mocked, bullied even, by some of her siblings in her childhood for being a concubine's child. Zorzal being, of course, the loudest.
"You're just the child of a concubine. Don't even associate with me!" she reminisced in a sour mood.
But now, other details she had missed were coming back. She remembered the Empress being less than kind to her mother, not overtly of course. The redhead wasn't sure why but now… she wondered if it had to do with how the Emperor may have apparently favored her over his more direct heirs, with giving his blessing to her to create her Order. Or maybe another internal political conflict she was unaware of.
Glancing briefly at the woman sitting in front of her, Piña reflected about what she had just learned. In her own society, being chosen as an Imperial concubine was considered a position of honor and prestige that one couldn't refuse. But given what she actually knew… she found that she couldn't help but agree with the Councilor viewpoint. Concubines had even less power than legally wed wives and didn't actually benefit their family with an alliance. She was almost certain her own mother had suffered from the position with people looking down on her behind her back.
It made perfect sense why Cyrodiil wasn't practicing it, all the three cyrodilic women she had met appeared far too proud or strong to be lured into such positions. She envied them.
Mei's voice suddenly shook her out of her thoughts.
"That being said, it won't affect our views on you, your Highness, be certain of it. You are a foreign Princess with the rank of Imperial dignity*** and shall be treated as such, daughter of concubine or not," the Nirnian emissary said with a smile on her lips.
The redhead noted that her tone of voice had been warmer than during the beginning of the conversation. She must have guessed what I was thinking
"Of course," the girl answered though she actually meant Thank you. She decided to change the subject after finishing her cup. "Now I believe we have more pressing matters at hands to deal?"
"Indeed, we do," Mei nodded while putting back her own empty cup on the table.
The Princess signaled Delilah to take back the plate with their cups.
"I suppose you want me to start by addressing our terms?" The Tharn woman asked.
"Actually, Captain Caranya already presented the non-negotiable part but I wish to see them in full."
"Very well." She snapped her fingers, producing a brief flash of light and smoke. As it dispersed, two paper scrolls had appeared in her hand. She handed one to Piña which the Princess opened without prompting.
"These scrolls are the peace treaty we want to agree on with your Empire. The one I handed to you is written in your tongue, we had help from some prisoners for that."
The redhead was about to respond how it was possible they could understand each other then if they weren't speaking the same language until the evidence dawned on her. Of course it would be magic… I'm actually surprised they can't just learn our writing with a spell.
"The current treaty isn't actually in his definitive form, of course," Mei continued before smiling at the Princess. "This is why we are having negotiations after all. But as you mentioned earlier, your Highness, some terms are non-negotiables. They are specified on the treaty you have."
Piña read them quickly. Those were the same Caranya had told her, the ceasing of any hostilities and invasion from Sadera, official recognition from both Empire's current borders. It was reasonable, unfortunately the Princess knew the pro-war faction in the Senate would be opposed to it, she would have to deal with them later.
To her utmost surprise, there was no mention of ransom whatsoever for the prisoners. They were willing to return them without anything in return provided they were (and that was another surprise for the redhead) not going to be harmed or judged for having been captured. And once the rest of the treaty was agreed upon and signed by both parties, of course.
"You… do not ask for ransom for the prisoners?"
Jing's mother gazed at her with an amused look. "Ransoms are the behavior of individuals like bandits or petty kings engaged in wars with their neighbors. States have no need to conduct themselves that way, we represent the interest of our people."
If only that was the case here, alas! Glory-seekers are far too numerous, the Princess thought. But if I have my way...
She frowned as she looked at the compensation that the Nirnians asked. They had been attacked without provocation, it is fair, she rationalized before looking at their demands. She let out a breath of relief when she saw they didn't ask for slaves but merely resources, though their nature wasn't precised.
She turned back to the Councilor. "It is not written what you would wish for compensation."
"Indeed," the older woman confirmed. "We had to move a significant chunk of our local armed forces as well as feeding the prisoners we took. We'd like to receive any resources that could be rare and valuable in our world."
"Gold?"
Mei shook her head negatively. "No, not gold. We have that in abundance. Something else, like a mineral or even a type of wood rare or that we can't exploit in our world. It can even be worthless for you."
She blinked. Mmmh, anything they would consider valuable, eh? Elbe has some mines but… would the King accept it? Forget it, Piña. If the Nirnians are as good as I think they are, they must have already reached for an accord with him. She thought about Sadera's own mineral deposits. Maybe there could be something for them there.
"Well," she began after rolling back the treaty, "I can't speak for the entirety of the Empire but I personally find those terms agreeable, Lady Mei. Surprisingly even."
"We do not want further hostilities nor resentment lingering, peace is easier if the victor shows himself merciful."
Some would call it weakness, Piña almost said. She didn't even raise an objection to the claim of Sadera having lost the war even though only one battle had been fought, as far as she knew.
"Besides there are other matters for us to attend once the treaty is signed," the Nibenese woman said as her face hardened. "These daedra's incursions need to be dealt with."
Right, she had almost forgotten them. They were even more of an unknown than Nirn and they were the more immediate threat. She shuddered as she remembered the night where she almost died. Her mare, Justinia, who had been her companion since she had been knighted, didn't have her luck she thought with sadness. A brief flash light was all she remembered before she woke up on Cyrus' back.
"Lady Mei, since you're more than knowledgeable about them, could you be honest with me with the situation? How bad is it? Why now? Is it the Gate?"
"I believe the Rift between our worlds that was used to create this 'Gate' you speak of played a role. But I wouldn't be able to tell you why as of now. The fact you never encountered them so far prove the two events are linked. As for the current situation…" she briefly paused before continuing. "It's… complicated as you might guess. We actually don't know much aside that several of their bandit-equivalents decided to come here to raid, maybe they saw an opportunity? After all, their politics have nothing to envy from ours."
Definitely not the answer Piña had hoped for. On the other hand, the existence of the Daedra threat could be used against the more pro-war Senators to convince them of the necessity of signing the Treaty. And the Princess knew they had a dire need of the Nirnians' help. Still, there was still something else they both needed to address.
"Earlier when you arrived, you mentioned a list with the prisoners you managed to identify, could I see it?"
"Of course," the woman snapped once more and another scroll appeared in her hand before she gave it to the Princess. "Right here, your Highness."
As she began to read it, Mei added, "I can assure you we treated them with the utmost respect."
The redhead immediately noted a majority of the list's names were actually camp followers rather than soldiers proper though it reassured her that in a sense they had been spared by the fighting. She recognized several of them, Lady Livia Sartorius and Count Colt Formal of course, but also Lady Octavia Entius, her husband and a few others. However, she definitely noticed others were missing… the Legatus and her former comrades from the Order, in particular.
"Lady Mei, is this all of them? Or are there more who aren't on the list?"
"Like I said, those are the most important people we managed to identify with the prisoners' own help. The list was written by one of them so you could read it but it wasn't fully updated when I left. Maybe there might be a few names that need to be added. However…" she paused a bit before continuing, "if it's about the leader of your army… we searched for him for days." She shook her head. "Everything points out he might have died during the fighting."
The Princess frowned. They searched? Wouldn't the prisoners identify themselves? It doesn't make any sense
Mei saw the incomprehension in her eyes. "The fighting was… brutal. Some prisoners were affected mentally by it. It's a matter widely documented in Tamriel that war can wound one's mind and affect them in several different manners, we call it war sickness."
Now, that was the first time Piña was hearing something like this. She was certain Grey never mentioned anything like this. Then again… he didn't talk about everything from his past in detail. But she did hear of stories about soldiers going mad… could it have been from that "war sickness?" It was definitely something to be worth investigating if this was true.
"I understand you are given no further proof than our word, your Highness, and I could easily be lying to you."
They could, the Princess recognized, but it wouldn't give them any advantages in their current positions. They already had everything.
"Which is why," the Easterner continued, "we have an offer for you as a gesture of good will and to build trust with the rest of your Empire."
The redhead blinked. "Oh? I am curious to hear it."
"We are willing to release into your custody a number of our prisoners from the list I gave you, essentially the civilians. Provided, of course, they won't suffer from any retaliation for having surrendered."
Her interlocutor froze. This was actually very generous from their part, even too much. Why would they do that? They even care about their fate once out of their hands…
"Forgive me for doubting you, my lady, but why? Why not keep them as hostages instead?"
Mei smirked before nodding. "A good point but it's actually very simple." She motioned to the list still in Piña's hands before hardening her gaze. "A lot of them are women with their children, their babes even. We did what we could to accommodate their needs but they are still living in a gilded cage. We have no interest in letting them remain our prisoners longer than it is needed if we can repatriate them."
The Princess' heart pinched. She understood the matter very well. Engaging in a peace process was to be a priority, but there were other problems that remained. She also needed more political allies for the events to come.
"You have my thanks for this generous proposition, Councilor. Nevertheless, there is something I need to ask… Would it be possible for me to see some of the prisoners? That way I could report what I saw directly to the Emperor. I am his daughter, he will trust me. I will also need to warn him about..." she hesitated briefly, "what happened here and in your world. Privately, you have my word."
Mei peered at the girl before her. She definitely had ulterior motives but she couldn't find anything that could favor the Princess where she would choose to go against the peace proposed, infact, she had everything to lose. The Councilor decided to go with her instinct and trust her.
"I will contact my superiors back on Nirn but I think they will agree. This is actually an excellent idea, you might even get to visit more of our world while there, it would bring us a step closer to peace."
The redhead smiled. "I sincerely hope so, Lady Councilor."
Nirnian Field Hospital of Italica
The cots had barely been prepared when Dame Éléonore's patrol had already returned. The comatose elves were carefully transported to their beds while Caranya called her upcoming subordinates to join them as soon they were back.
The Altmer then took a good look at the refugees. It was as the Commander had said, they were all looking like Tuka's race but with white hair and skin tone similar to Cyrus. Definitely local elves.
She made a mental note that there were only two adults and a few children carrying almost nothing with them, which could mean two things, they had lost everything in the attack or weren't able to bring anything and, far more grim, their group used to be bigger.
"Those are Dark Elves," Tuka explained.
Jing and Caranya quietly exchanged a glance before both shrugging. They might have been called such here but they were clearly no Dunmer.
"It's strange though," the young girl continued as she held her chin, deep in thoughts, "unlike us High Elves, people of the Sun and the Forest, they tend to live underground and keep to their domain. If they have come here, something dire must have happened." She turned back to the Battlemage officer. "Do you know what it was?"
Caranya winced. She didn't want to reveal it was the same exact reason Tuka was now an orphan. The poor girl had barely recovered. She was saved by the sudden arrival of Cyrus and Black-Scales with, unsurprisingly, Rory in tow. She didn't need to give an order for the Necromancer to immediately check on the refugees.
"Dark Elves, huh?" the Apostle questioned after taking a quick look. She didn't have her trademark smirk for once and her face hardened. "Hardy's fiercest worshippers." Her tone was disdainful.
All the Battlemages, save Cyrus who was tending to the Elves, briefly looked at her.
"Right!" Tuka intervened. "Hardy is the Goddess of the Underworld, her domain is over the afterlife but also underground."
"So the Underworld isn't actually just a literary expression here but the actual location of the Afterlife? Talk about being creepy..." Black-Scales mused as much to the others as to himself.
His Captain chose to ignore it for the moment before calling out to Cyrus. "So? How are they doing?"
The Heartlander was examining one of the two women before answering. "This one suffers from minor burns." His hand glowed with white ethereal light as he applied a spell to his patient. "Nothing I can't fix. The children are simply exhausted and malnourished, they need a few days to recover but again nothing dire." He then directed himself to the last adult.
Was she dead? The last thing she could remember was coming face to face with a skeleton rider. It must have been a servant of her Goddess, right? Then why was she feeling like she was waking up? Did people sleep even in the afterlife? Or maybe it was a dream and we were never attacked by a dragon… I must have imagined everything… The first sight she noticed as her eyes barely opened was a dragon's head hovering over her.
"Yiiiiiiiiiiicks!"
The scream had everyone in the room jumping out in surprise with the first reflex for the soldiers to put themselves in a combat stance. They relaxed once they saw the commotion was about Cyrus trying to restrain the second Elf woman.
"Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you," he said in a tone that wanted to be reassuring while grabbing her firmly by the shoulders to maintain her in place so she wouldn't hurt herself.
Yao's vision cleared and she realized what she had thought was a dragon was actually a war paint on a man's face. She looked around to see herself in an unfamiliar place. It looked like a large tent of some sort. She saw that Nayu and the children were there too, lying down on the cots. They looked as if they had been tended to.
"Now please calm down, Miss. I need to see if you are wounded," the man said.
"You should listen to him, honored cousin of the Subterranean Realm," another voice added.
The Dark Elf woman turned her head to see a teenage High Elf girl approaching her.
She bowed respectfully. "I am Tuka Luna Marceau," she greeted. "These people are to be trusted, they saved me. Sir Cyrus just wants to check your wounds."
Yao ceased struggling, deciding to trust the girl. "I am Yao Haa from the Rushi Clan." She looked sheepishly at the man before her. "I am sorry… your war paint… I mistook you for a dragon."
Cyrus briefly stared at her before nodding. "Thank you."
"Wait… I was being serious…"
"So was he," a new voice interrupted her.
She turned her gaze before having her eyes widening. A woman from an unknown demihuman species was here. It wasn't that she was of an unknown stock that was attracting Yao's attention, it was that she possessed a lot of elven characteristics. But the Dark Elf had never heard of tall golden-skinned elves before.
"Were you hurt anywhere?" Cyrus asked her as he finished his examination.
"No"
"I see." He turned towards the golden woman. "They all need rest. I recommend waiting before interrogating them about what happened."
Caranya nodded. "Very well, we shall let you…"
"NO!" Yao yelled, getting out of her cot abruptly.
The other Dark Elves shifted in their sleep.
"You need to rest, Miss," Cyrus told her, "whatever you have to say can wait."
"It cannot!" the dark-skinned elf retorted. "My people are in danger!"
"Breathe," Caranya said, "calm yourself, then tell us." Turning back to Black-Scales, she sent him a knowing nod.
"Come with me, Tuka. I… have something to show you."
The blonde elf raised a brow but didn't question the Argonian more than that as she followed him outside.
The Battlemage Captain then gestured for Yao to speak.
"It started a few weeks ago… a Flame Dragon suddenly awakened from hibernation near our village. The beast started to attack us from time to time but we managed to avoid it… for a while." She tried to calm her breathing before continuing. "About two days ago, it got worse. The Dragon renewed its attacks more aggressively."
The three Battlemages glanced at each other. This was just a day after Cyrus and Jing had driven out the beast from their convoy. Difficult to not see the connection.
"It killed… so many. We called out to our Goddess... but nothing happened." Her ears fell a bit.
"And what did you expect Hardy to do for you?" Rory exclaimed.
Yao blinked when she noticed her, putting her hand on her mouth in surprise. "Your Holiness…"
"Here's a thing you should remember, Hardy doesn't care about anyone but herself! You're just playthings for her!"
Caranya sent the Apostle a glare, silently ordering her to shut up. Rory responded in kind and for a moment it seemed as if the two were engaging in some sort of staring contest. Emroy's Apostle broke it first, deciding to storm off and exit the tent.
Caranya turned back to Yao, offering her a warm smile. "Don't mind her, please, continue."
The Dark Elf was shocked. She had never heard of someone opposing an Apostle and living to tell about it. She nodded to the Altmer.
"The elders decided to send the children away, then look for help. Of the initial group that left…" she glanced at her fellow Dark Elves, "we are the only survivors." She hugged her knees.
"I am sorry," Caranya said in a sincere tone. "Tuka, the young High Elf you saw just now, had her village entirely annihilated by the same beast. We took her in when we passed across the ruins of her village, she was the only survivor. You need to rest to recover your strength, we'll talk more later. Is it alright with you?"
She got a weak nod as an answer.
"Good. Stay here, we'll bring you something to eat later."
As the Battlemages left the Hospital, Jing spoke. "The Dragon… we just pissed him off. We should have killed him back then."
"Easier said than done," Cyrus retorted. "Besides we had our orders. We could have never known he would find another target so easily."
The Easterner relented. "Perhaps…" she gazed at her superior. "Ma'am! What are we going to do?"
The Altmer shrugged. "We'll inform the Commander. As far as I'm concerned, that 'Dragon' is under his jurisdiction. It's going to be his call, in the meantime, we take care of those refugees."
"So, what did you make of her?"
"A smart girl. She knows where her interests lie. It's as we predicted, the Princess is our best hope for a quick peace," Mei telepathically answered to Hector.
"Good job, Councilor."
"Thank you, High Chancellor. So, what do you make of her proposition?"
There was a pause on the other side. "I talked with the Emperor. We need that crisis resolved as quickly as possible, there are still many unknowns we need to find answers to beyond just that war. We know a pro-war position is not unanimous among their 'Senate'. War is, after all, costly."
Clan Tiberius's Estate, Sadera, earlier that day
As the most influential member of the anti-war faction, the Doves, Casel El Tiberius had invited the other Senators of his faction. Unknown to the participants, they were monitored by Captain Eveline Dulion.
Already, the discussions were going well. All of the present Senators had reasons of their own to cease the invasion.
"The more soldiers they send away, the less manpower there is to harvest our fields!"
"Did you see the new raise in taxes? Soon most peasants will have to sell themselves as slaves if these campaigns are to continue. They barely have enough to eat as it is."
"Trade is also suffering! They pulled out soldiers from everywhere and now we have to use our own retinues to patrol the roads and make sure they are safe!"
"That's true, I've heard raids intensifying in the rural areas since some forts had been abandoned. Already, some villages are emptying!"
The meeting's host was currently discussing with the head of the Tyueili clan, Gaius El Tyueili, cups of wine in hand.
"What do you make of the situation, my friend?"
Casel took a sip, savouring his drink a brief instant, before answering. "Catastrophic. As our colleagues are showing, we are on thin ice. At this pace, soon we'll get raided by the pirates of the Avion Sea. We must make the Emperor and the Hawk faction see reason."
"This is going to be a challenge. Most Hawk Senators are from the core territories of the Empire, they didn't suffer much so far. But we should still be able to sway the Senators who remained neutrals."
"Indeed." Casel took another sip. He frowned. "But we won't obtain the majority without a fight, not after the disastrous campaign against the Warrior Bunny Tribes revitalized the Hawk cause."
"Disastrous? But we won."
"Aye, on paper we won and broke their hegemony. In reality… it cost us far more in men and gold than thought. You read the report?"
His friend smiled before shaking his head. "I'm not really a military man."
"The Tribes were able to defeat our forces several times so the commander-in-chief of our army, Prince Zorzal simply sent waves after waves of his men until the bunnies were too tired to fight." Tiberius shook his head. "Countless lives were wasted with those tactics, more than the Emperor would admit. Now, make no mistake, the Tribes were a constant danger to our territories and had to be taken out, but there were less costly ways to do it; playing each tribe against one another or even forcing them into becoming tributaries. Instead we went for a full conquest…"
"And now the Emperor thinks that invading through the Gate to plunder for riches will solve all of our problems," the other finished. "We've lost contact with Legatus Antonius' army. What do you think happened?"
"Frankly, both hypotheses pushed forward at the last session are probable. But if they were indeed defeated… we can only pray that the fighting will not escalate further. The blow to our armed forces will be bad enough as it is. If the Empire starts drawing on more of our manpower..."
"A sentiment that the current imperial heir does not share," a new voice said as another man approached them. "I assure you."
"Sadly you're right, Marquis Co Palesti," Casel recognized. "Prince Zorzal will never suffer the Empire to give up, even for its own good."
"Why does the Emperor keep him around, I wonder?" Gaius grumbled. "Prince Diabo is better suited to rule the Empire, he understands its inner workings much better. Speaking of him, do you think approaching the Prince could yield some results?"
The Marquis shook his head. "Diabo would never go against his Father's wishes, no matter what he personally thinks about it."
"What about other members of the Imperial family?"
"Princess Piña carries a lot of influence on his Imperial Majesty… but she was sent to Italica a few days ago, my second daughter, Bozes, went with her."
"A shame," Gaius said. "Which reminds me, I'm not one to gossip but did you hear the rumors about how she might be a potential replacement for Prince Zorzal?"
Casel smiled before drinking from his cup. "I did, my dear Gaius. But I sincerely doubt it's true. As capable our dear Princess is, she's only tenth in the line of succession, as well as a woman. Not only that but she would need a huge support base to press her claim, only for her then husband to reap all the benefits." He shook his head. "Whoever spread that rumor wasn't doing her any favours though I'd personally admit I'd rather have her than the eldest Prince as a ruler."
Palace of Italica, Princess Piña's apartments, evening
The Princess had called for a private meeting with Hamilton and Bozes. For a reason she could not explain, she noticed her blonde friend had perfumed herself even though she shouldn't have needed it in the current situation. She simply shrugged and decided to concentrate herself on the matter at hands.
"Good news, everyone! The negotiations with the Councilor went particularly well."
Her friends said nothing but smiled instead.
"Which is why I have new tasks for the both of you," she continued. "I will depart soon for the other side of the Gate, visiting our prisoners to show that we, and by we I really mean our Order, haven't abandoned them."
"With all due respect, your Highness… is that wise?" Hamilton asked. "It has only been two days since we learned of what happened beyond…"
"This crisis needs to be resolved as fast as possible, we will take advantage of the momentum."
Bozes crossed her arms over her chest before frowning. "I don't know if I should mention it but Beefeater hasn't been the most supportive of your late decisions, though you probably already knew it."
The redhead nodded. "I'm aware, which is why she'll be coming with me on the other side, to change her mind about it. You, Bozes, will be in charge of the Order while I'm gone, Grey will help you." She turned her head towards Hamilton. "I have a special task for you, Hamilton." She handed her over a letter bearing her personal seal. "You will depart tomorrow at first light for the Capital with Panache and a Knight's escort. The Emperor needs to be warned about what truly happened and what I am doing. Your second task will be to meet with the leader of the Doves, Senator Casel El Tiberius, and seek his support."
The other girl briefly bowed. "As you wish, Princess!"
"Shouldn't I be going instead?" Bozes asked, "my father is part of the Doves after all. Also don't you think outright endorsing the Doves no matter what the Emperor says is a bit… bold?"
Piña shook her head. "I'll rather keep you here for now, as for taking a side into Senatorial business… my father can be quite stubborn."
Hearing those words elicited a smirk from the blonde girl. You know what they say, like father…
"Which is why if I can't fully convince him, I'll have to convince the Senate."
"Makes sense."
"Right." Piña then stared at her friend, she couldn't ignore the smell any longer.
Bozes raised a brow. "What?"
Piña crossed her arms over her chest. "Mind telling me why did you put on that much perfume?"
"Maybe because I like smelling good."
She rolled her eyes. Right… and I'm the Queen of the Avion Sea
"That wouldn't happen to have anything to do with some blue-eyed young and handsome Centurion, perchance?"
Her friend's cheeks reddening was all she needed to know. She smirked. "Well then, say hello to Centurion Marius from me."
Italica's barracks, current headquarters of the Imperial Legion
As most soldiers were currently eating their meal, only a few individuals remained in the training area.
Cyrus was practicing his close combat with his Golden Saint summon, Mira. He knew the female daedra wouldn't take it easy on him so it was an excellent exercise, not to mention his style was against her's : thanks to his staff, he had a longer reach but her shield plus one-handed sword favoured her due to his own lack of shield. So far he had managed to keep her at bay.
Aside from him, there were only two other persons. Centurion Marius was currently polishing his armor under the watchful gaze of his second, Optio Aviera.
"I think that will be alright, Sir. You're going to be seen miles around if you continue."
The Cyro-Nord inspected his handiwork. "Maybe you're right… I wish I had better clothes to wear. Alas…" he started to put his armor back on, "it will do."
The older Cyrod smiled a bit. "I'm sure it will." She had grown quite fond of her younger superior, their relationship was after all based on trust. "I wish you good luck for tonight, Sir."
The Centurion nodded back. "Thank you, Optio."
Cyrus was able to make out their words between two of his clashes. One didn't need to be a Seer to know what they were talking about, especially him. He had easily witnessed the mutual attraction between Centurion Marius and Lady Bozes several times but he didn't know what to think about it. Relationships of that kind in the Legion were far more common than believed and as long the rules were respected… nothing was preventing them from blooming. Besides, despite having known him for only a few days, the Centurion seemed professional enough.
The sound of Mira charging him made him snap back to reality. He clashed once more with her, her superior strength pushing him back.
As Marius departed for his "date", Aviera could not help but cup her cheeks while almost gushing. "Aah… youngsters having fun together, reminds me of my adventuring days…"
The Colovian suddenly realized the sound of fighting had ceased. She turned around to see the Battlemage and his summon staring at her. She could not make Cyrus' expression from behind his helmet but the Golden Saint was looking at her with an air of disapproval.
The woman blushed before hardening her face, "That's none of your business, Daedra!" before storming off from the area.
"Pathetic," Mira said while shaking her head. "Female mortals are so mentally weak. They should lead their societies, not fawn over such things as 'romance', no wonder males are considered equal in Tamriel, in fact…"
"You're ranting," Cyrus cut her. It's been a while
She sent him a glare. "You're lucky I respect you."
He shrugged. She was an Aureal after all but he had grown used to her antics. Truthfully, she was quite moderate for a Golden Saint and he knew she had become fond of him, in her own way.
The sounds of footsteps made them turn around. They immediately noticed Caranya without her helmet coming towards them, something in her right hand.
"No need for formalities , we're not on duty , in case I needed to specify," the Altmer told her friend with a smile. She glanced at Mira, "am I interrupting something?"
The Daedra grunted before shaking her head. "At least some female mortal worthy of authority," she almost whispered under her breath.
"Why, thank you!" the Captain happily answered at the compliment.
Mira looked away, ashamed she had broken her image of stoicism.
"I'll be sending you back to the Isles, for another time" Cyrus informed her.
She answered him with a small nod before vanishing into a purple sphere. The Heartlander then turned himself towards the Merish woman.
"Did you see Rory anywhere?" Her tone was neutral but he knew her enough to know she was a bit worried.
He shook his head. "Not since she left the hospital. Were you looking for her?"
"No… maybe? I just hope I didn't make her leave." Her brows frowned as her face hardened. "Still, what she said was quite unkind. Apostle or not, she had no right."
"It's about that Goddess, Hardy. Every time she's mentioned, Rory is either dismissive or on the defensive. I've told Black-Scales about it, there's something big we don't know."
"Yeah, you're probably right," his superior admitted. "Rory has shown more humane qualities before, like when she was distracting the children of Coda by playing with them. She wouldn't act like this without reason." She shook her head. "Anyway, I came for another reason."
She showed him what she was holding. It was a letter addressed to the both of them.
She smiled. "I forgot about this yesterday so I thought now might be the best time."
"Let's open it, then," Cyrus said.
She didn't make him wait and tore apart the envelope, taking out the letter and holding it in a way they could both read it. As her friend had suspected, it was from Argos.
Dear Caranya and Cyrus,
I hope you two are well. Here, life is simple as it's always been. We hope this letter will find you as quickly as we learned about the news (I still have to thank you for that magical delivery newspaper device by the way). The children are asking about where did their Uncle and cool Aunt go this time. Of course, I was unable to properly answer them because you know… weird Shadow Legion business and all of that. Father Manuel prayed for you, as always. Take great care of yourselves my friends and come back to us eventually.
Your, sincerely, Luciana and the rest of Argos villagers
PS : I've checked on your house, your enchantments have kept it in a proper state as usual
"Sweet! I think we should answer them," the Altmer exclaimed after finishing reading.
"Agreed."
"What do you think we should put in it?"
"You're asking me?" Cyrus questioned her rhetorically. When he saw that she was serious, he then added, "That we are fine, our task is progressing well and that… we are in another world, I guess?"
"Pfff, thank you for your great contribution, Cyr'."
"You do know I'm bad at that, right?"
"What do you mean?" she asked in a playful manner.
He chose to say nothing, knowing that would only encourage her.
"Oh come on, you know I'm teasing!"
Somewhere, near the palace of Italica
Bozes was walking with Marius, holding unto his arm. She had changed her armor for the pretty dress she had worn the other day. Their night had been nothing but wonderful. They had walked all around the city and talked a lot, notably about each other's lives.
They felt more at ease, just the two of them. and so the blonde girl had learned a lot about him. The son of a veteran of what he had called "the Great War", Marius had followed in his father's footsteps until being placed under the Crown Prince's elite Legion itself as a Centurion.
Bozes, in turn, had told him how, as the second daughter of an influential nobleman, she had joined Princess Piña's Order as a way to escape being married too young for another political alliance. She had barely restrained herself from saying how she envied the women of his world, not wanting to ruin their evening.
They were near the Palace's entrance.
"This is it, it seems," he announced with a hint of regret in his voice.
"I had a wonderful time, thank you," she said in a soft tone.
He kissed her hand. "Pleasure's all mine, Lady Bozes."
She looked into his piercing blue-eyes. "Please, call me just 'Bozes'."
He smiled. "I'll do it, but on one condition : you'll have to call me 'Marius'."
She nodded with a beautiful smile of her own. "Very well, Marius."
He suddenly cupped her cheek tenderly, then leaned closer.
Finally! she thought as their lips touched in a kiss.
They separated after what felt like an eternity.
Bozes was smirking. "I was waiting for that, I thought it was never going to happen and that I was too subtle."
He winked at her. "Let's say... I was saving it for the right time."
"Definitely!"
He nodded before kissing her hand once more. "Goodnight, Bozes."
"You too, Marius."
As she entered the palace's quarters reserved to the female Knights, a voice surprised her.
"So, should I tell Norma you aren't single anymore?"
She turned around to see several of her sisters from the Order in nightgown staring at her with Piña outright smirking, hands on her hips.
Bozes leaned on the door she had just closed, dreamily touching her lips with her fingers before smiling. She nodded.
"By Emroy… it was totally worth it."
As Marius headed towards the barracks, someone suddenly called him out.
"Nicely done Sir."
He turned his head to see Black-Scales stepping out from the shadows.
"I couldn't have done it without you."
The Argonian shook his head in protest. "Bullshit! She was totally into you since the beginning."
"That may be so but thank you for your counsel."
"Who would have thought Nightblades made the best wingmen?"
*Dumarais : means "from the marsh" in common Bretic, a tongue-in-cheek surname that many Argonians who immigrated to High Rock adopted
**Seducer: Dark Seducer, Seducer and Daedra Seducer actually belong to the same Daedra species, the Mazken but with different habits. Unlike the two others, Dark Seducers do not lure mortals to their doom under the guise of beautiful women and serve Sheogorath as one of his two police forces.
***Imperial dignity : according to classic diplomacy, heads of states are classified per rank equivalent, from mere duchies (not much used these days), Royalty to finally Emperor/Empress. This is because the concept of Empire as it was born in Cyrodiil rested with the Emperor/Empress, the King/Queen of Cyrodiil, who claimed their overlordship directly from Heaven, making them "King of Kings". As time went on and Cyrodiil grew in power, Empires became simply associated in the minds of the people with "very powerful State" but the first definition still remains.