Chapter 15

Renee's Curse

As Renee announced Namira's presence, Toothless sensed the Daedric Prince and, with ferocity in his eyes, charged toward Renee's home. Seeing this, the brothers gave chase.

"What's with Toothless?" Rahm-Ku asked.

"I don't know. Something must be wrong." Hiccup replied.

The brothers halted as Toothless stopped, growling at the sight of a strange woman exiting the house with Renee, who was also snarling.

Hiccup, seeing the women, spoke to his sister.

"Uh…Renee? D-do you know her?"

Renee answered, growling.

"Namira."

Rahm-Ku's scales became a pale green while the fur on J'Kiir's body bristled. The woman, noticing the Viking's confusion, took a couple of steps forward as she spoke.

"Most know of me as the Daedric Prince of Decay and Revulsion. And I must say it is quite a pleasure to meet dear Renee's brothers at last."

The title 'Daedric Prince' was enough for Hiccup to realize that he and J'Kiir were once again dealing with a daedra. Of course, this was a first for Rahm-Ku. Renee, on the other hand, looked like she knew the woman already. J'Kiir proceeded to speak.

"Charmed, I'm sure. If I may be so bold, why, or more likely how, did you come here?"

Namira slowly walked around the boys and the dragon as Renee kept an eye on her.

"There were several of my brethren, including myself, who had made plans in case Mehrunes Dagon failed in his attempt to conquer Mundus. But unlike back then, my power here is limited. The reason I came here was to clear my name."

"Clear your name? You mean for the plague that took everyone in this village and many others?" Renee snarled.

Namira rolled her eyes as she touched one of the decayed buildings, her gaze soon focusing on the brothers.

"I can assume you three discovered that this was not made by my hand?"

Remembering the incense, J'Kiir brought out the sticks he collected and presented them to Namira.

"I've found barrels of these all over town. Blood's Bane. But what do you know about this? Everyone's assumed that you were the one responsible for the Harvest."

Namira nodded at the Khajiit's report.

"I thank you for dropping my name from the plague's title, Khajiit. As for your question, my answer is this. Nearly 11 years ago, thousands of barrels containing my Blood's Bane were stolen. I was saving those incense for a different time when one of my loyal subjects came to me and told me that they were stolen."

"Do you have any idea by whom?" J'Kiir asked.

The other two brothers were just as curious as he was, but Renee was still fuming with anger. It was clear she wasn't convinced, but held her tongue as she struggled to keep her wolf's blood from going wild. Namira looked to the Nord with an amused look on her face before she spoke to the five.

"Indeed. The Blood's Bane was stolen by one of my formerly loyal worshipers. A Dunmer named Dralsa Nethrend."

This caught Renee's ears. Raising eyebrow, she spoke.

"I remember. Before the plague struck, there was a Dark Elf wanderer that stayed at the inn. He said he was looking for twelve gems."

She then shuddered.

"He also gave me this creepy look. Like a lecher. Shortly after, when I hid from him, I could've sworn I've heard him say 'I have found the emerald.'"

She then looked to Namira.

"But what does he have to do with what happened?"

Namira's smile grew wider as she raised an eyebrow.

"Why, everything, of course. Although you have only heard only a sliver of his intentions."

The quintet gave Namira a confused. The Lady of Decay took a stick from J'Kiir's hand an eyed it.

"The man is indeed a lecher. But he is also insane. Perhaps more than Sheogorath, which is quite a feat."

Namira then took a seat at one of the nearby stone benches, the growing flora around her dying in seconds.

"The 'gems' he spoke about are in fact twelve girls of his choosing. Each one from a jewel-mining village."

This caused the Dragonborn's eyes to widen in shock. However, Renee's face contorted back to confusion and growing anger.

"What does that have to do with Emeralda?!"

The Prince raised an eyebrow in annoyance at Renee.

"If you will be so kind as to hold your tongue, child, I shall proceed to explain."

She then eased the eyebrow as she continued.

"Dralsa not only has a fancy for beautiful young women, but gems as well. Eleven years ago, he decided that he should go to the twelve best gem towns and collect two items from each village."

She then held up one finger.

"First, the finest of the town's signature gem."

She then held up a second finger.

"And second; a young bride from that same village."

This caught the Dragonborn's surprise again.

"Twelve brides? Why?" Hiccup asked.

But J'Kiir cringed at a thought and held up a hand.

"I don't think we need to know that."

"Well, then you won't like this." Namira spoke up, regaining the siblings' attention. "He would always get the jewel, but he is always refused when it came to a bride. In retaliation, he stole my incense by the barrel for a year before he went took his anger out on the first village: Garna."

The brothers looked to Renee for an explanation. She gave it willingly.

"Garna was a mining village similar to Emeralda. Only the gems they mined were garnets. They were also the first to be struck by the plague."

They returned their attention to Namira, who continued calmly.

"Indeed. He first made sure his 'garnet' was immune to the incense. The concoction he used consisted of a combination of powerful healing herbs and strong Restoration magic. He would slip it into something only the girl would consume. Then, he lights the incense and waits until the village is dead. He then takes the girl and moves on to the next of the villages. What's more, there's a pattern."

"A pattern?" Rahm-Ku asked.

Once again, Namira nodded.

"Yes. Think about the jewels and the villages that had died."

The quartet of Dragonborn thought for a while before Renee got the idea.

"Each of those villages' jewels…is a birthstone!"

The brothers and Toothless looked to the Nord as she explained.

"Garnet is the jewel of Morning Star, the first month of the year. And emeralds are the birthstones of Second Seed, the fifth month. Twelve months, twelve villages…"

"Twelve brides." J'Kiir finished grimly.

For once, Renee looked to the Daedric Prince not with hatred or distrust, but with pleading inquiry. A look that Namira found very amusing.

"Namira-"

"Lady Namira, child."

A scowl emerged on Renee's face, but complied.

"Lady Namira. If I may ask, who was the 'emerald'? The emerald that Dralsa was looking for in Emeralda."

It was then the Prince of Decay gave a look. A look that said 'Oh, you know.' All four Dragonborn and one dragon figured it out as all of the males turned their attention slowly to Renee, the looks of shock donning their faces. It was Renee who spoke, her voice in horror.

"Me. I'm the Emerald of Emeralda."

Namira simply nodded, not saying a word.

J'Kiir turned his gaze to the Blood's Bane in disgust. Hiccup could barely stand and took a seat on the ground. Rahm-Ku's brotherly emotions took ahold of him and he embraced Renee tightly, who was still frozen from the shock. His crest first rose in surprise before flattening in anger.

"A creature like him doesn't deserve to see the light of day."

J'Kiir's ears flattened as he angrily clenched his fist, breaking the stick in it.

"I may be a thief, but that is seriously sick."

Hiccup turned to Namira as Toothless approached the two siblings and crooned as he placed his head on Renee's shoulder.

"Lady Namira, what exactly do you expect us to do?"

Namira, hearing this, narrowed her eyes as she answered the siblings.

"After eleven years, one of my creatures has finally located Dralsa. He is somewhere in the Reach. But finding and getting to him won't be easy."

J'Kiir spoke up as he and the others looked to Namira for answers.

"But you have a plan?"

Namira nodded before turning her attention to Hiccup.

"You are very familiar with your homeland's dragons, correct?"

Warily, Hiccup nodded.

"Yes?"

"And you have a talent for training wild dragons."

Once again, Hiccup nodded. Namira pointed to the southwest as she spoke once more. This time, she gave an answer.

"North of the hamlet of Rorikstead, there is a cave. Residing in that cave is a dragon of your caliber. I will have my creatures show you the way. Train it, and you will find Dralsa. But this information does not come for free."

Everyone present stood back as Namira stood up. A look of irritation on her face, Namira approached Renee, Rahm-Ku and Toothless backing away, agitated.

"Don't think I have not noticed the little 'stunt' you've pulled at my shrine in Cyrodiil, girl. A stunt like that has warrant my anger. Therefore, you must pay the price."

She then grabbed Renee's arm and the Nord cried out in pain as she felt a burning sensation on her arm. Her cries cause the males to approach in order to help their sister, but something held them back. They only got a few steps before falling to the ground, numb but aware. Even Toothless was unable to move. Hiccup's first thought were Speed Stingers. But that changed when he noticed something small scuttle away from one of his sleeves.

A spider.

Hiccup looked up and managed to call out.

"What are you doing?! I thought you've said you needed us!"

Namira answered, not taking her eyes off Renee's arm.

"Oh, I do. My spiders' poison will only paralyze you for thirty minutes. Just enough time."

She then spoke to Renee, who was struggling to remove her arm from the Prince's grip.

"For what you had done to my shrine, I will place this curse upon you until you do two things."

"What?" Renee asked through her teeth.

Namira answered her, a slight smile emerging on her face.

"The first is one you will like. Only you will deliver the final blow. But as my champion. The second, however, is a more…suitable punishment."

"And that is?" Renee asked, not liking where this was going.

Namira answered her as she removed her hand from Renee's arm, leaving behind a spider-shaped brand on the Nord's forearm, burning through the leather armguard.

"That mark is a sign of my influence. The only way to remove it is to do the second task."

She then gave a bigger, wicked grin.

"After killing him, you must devour his heart."

The Dragonborn shifted their gazes to Namira in shock and repulsion. The Prince of Decay was making Renee commit an act of cannibalism. Namira then pointed to the mark on Renee's arm as she spoke.

"Each day you fail to eat Dralsa Nethrend's heart, the craving for human flesh will slowly take hold of you. If you fail by the end of a week, you will become a true cannibal. Permanently."

Suddenly, Namira's body began to disintegrate, each speck of her changing into a tiny spider. As the Prince of Decay disintegrated, her voice echoed into the fog.

"Remember. You have one week. Kill Dralsa and eat his heart. Otherwise…"

She then gave a slight laugh.

"…your brothers will look pretty tasty."

Then, just like that, Namira, the Prince of Decay and Revulsion, disappeared.

Renee hissed in pain as she stared at the burn on her arm. She had been cursed by a Daedric Prince. With her arm in pain, it took some time before she was able to place her brothers in comfortable positions surrounding the forge. As Renee propped Toothless' head on a small log she brought, the brothers began to speak.

"I can't believe Namira did that." Hiccup spoke.

Rahm-Ku gave a slight nod.

"I know. It's one thing to be attacked by an ordinary Daedra. But getting cursed by a Prince? That's an entirely new level."

J'Kiir shifted his eyes towards Renee, who joined them at the fire.

"What exactly did you do to make her mad, sister?"

A faint blush appeared on the Nord's cheeks as she looked away.

"Well…I may or may not have vandalized her shrine in Cyrodiil. You know. Smashed a few statues, defacing her face…"

The trio of brothers gawked at their sister, but it was Rahm-Ku and J'Kiir who released their outbursts.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!"

Hiccup and Toothless, despite their paralysis, cringed at the brothers' shout as J'Kiir, for the first time since they met, began to lecture.

"Rule #1 when it comes to Daedric Princes! Never, and I mean NEVER, vandalize their shrines! Especially if it's a Prince that is guaranteed to make your life absolutely miserable!"

"Hey! It wasn't my fault." The Nord protested.

This, however, earned a disbelieving look. Renee then groaned in frustration as she was forced to explain her actions.

"Alright! So it was! It was two years ago. On the anniversary I left Emeralda. I have a tendency to…get drunk on that day. You know, to kill the pain. Well, the Fangs were camping a mile away from Namira's shrine in Cyrodiil and, in my drunken state, staggered my way over, vandalizing her statue as a form of revenge for my village's demise."

The brothers gave her an incredulous look.

"Are you kidding me?! You defaced Namira's statue because you were drunk?!" Rahm-Ku shouted in anger.

If they could, the brothers would face-palm at that moment. It was then that Hiccup spoke up.

"Ok, ok! We can talk more of this another time. It's already past sunset, so I suggest we get some rest and let the poison leave our system. Then, in the morning, Toothless and I will teach Renee how to train a dragon."

"And us?" J'Kiir asked as he struggled with his paralysis.

Hiccup answered him.

"J'Kiir, you get to work on making more arrows. Rahm-Ku, read the rest of those books Farengar gave you. We may need those spells. Renee, you're in charge of meals for the next week."

It was then Renee's turn to give an incredulous look.

"Me? Why me?"

Hiccup answered her again.

"Because of three reasons. One: you're the best hunter we've got so far. We will need meat and fish. Two: With your wolf's blood and Namira's curse on you, it would be best if you will quell your hunting instincts. Just don't go hunt any people, alright?"

"And three?" Renee asked.

Hiccup narrowed his eyes at his sister, causing her to jump back a bit.

"You're the one who got us into this mess by wrecking Namira's shrine. I think the others can agree that it's a decent form of punishment from us?"

The Khajiit and Argonian nodded in agreement. This made Renee mad again as she gave a loud, frustrated growl.

"Argh! Now my brothers are punishing me too?! Isn't being cursed by Namira punishment enough!?"

She then stormed off.

"I gotta go find something to fight! I'll be back later!"

As Renee left in a huff, Hiccup returned his gaze to his brothers.

"I have one more idea."

The brothers and Toothless turned their attention to the angry cursed Nord to the Viking, curious.

"And that is?" Rahm-Ku asked.

Hiccup answered him as shifted his gaze to the ruined town.

"We need a base of operations. An outpost. Breezehome is a good place to stay, but Whiterun doesn't have enough room for more than one dragon. And since Namira suggested we'd add another trainable dragon to the party…"

"…we need more space not only for the dragons, but for training for both dragons and riders as well. Brilliant." Rahm-Ku concluded in amazement.

But J'Kiir narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"But where exactly are we going to find this 'outpost.'"

Sensing the paralysis wearing off, Hiccup was able to move his head. He used it to gesture the area.

"We're paralyzed in it."

This made the brothers even more interested. Knowing that his brothers and dragon wanted more, Hiccup continued.

"Now that we know about the true cause of the plague, it's safe to say that Emeralda has been safe for settlement all along. Between tomorrow morning and at the end of Renee's week, we'll work in shifts rebuilding major parts of the town. The wall should be our first priority. If Renee's dragon is a Boulder-class, that will be very helpful. After that, we should build our own living spaces. I'm guessing the house Renee came out of with Namira was her house. So I'm sure she wants to stay there."

"Dibs on the inn!" J'Kiir called out.

The brothers gave J'Kiir another suspicious look before Rahm-Ku spoke.

"I don't know why you want the inn, but I don't care right now."

He then turned his head to Hiccup.

"My mother taught me all I need to become a merchant in case the mage thing doesn't work out. I will take over the general store and trading post."

"And Toothless and I can claim the blacksmith once we get it fixed up for a dragon to sleep in." Hiccup added in.

It was then that J'Kiir got another idea.

"I can set up shop as a potion maker and grow a large garden of ingredients. Whatever we are facing in the future, you can never have too many potions."

"Now that I completely agree with." Rahm-Ku replied.

The Khajiit gawked at Rahm-Ku's statement.

"You know. That's got to be the first time you've ever agreed with me wholeheartedly."

Hearing this, the brothers and dragon gave a laugh. But J'Kiir halted the laughter with another realization.

"We should talk to the jarl about this. Emeralda is in the Whiterun hold after all."

This brought the brothers' to attention as Rahm-Ku sighed.

"You're right again. We will need to present our case to Jarl Balgruuf, not adding the parts about the Daedric Princes or that Renee's been cursed. But I think we should talk to him about settling in Emeralda after we remove Namira's curse from Renee."

The brothers nodded in agreement as they continued to make plans for most of the night.