And it's still not mine
Chapter Three
Today dear hearts I fear I'll confuse you for I won't speak of the past but of the present. What use has the past got anymore? Too late to rectify it, and not even the wise take heed for the future, so it is best forgotten do you not think? Unfounded accusation I think I hear you say, of course we take heed from past mistakes. When you burn yourself on the campfire you learn not to stick your fingers in the flames, or when fighting you learn to take precautions, well if your lucky you do.
No my dears, I'm talking about something more important than that. Do you really think that one persons actions can affect the whole? Does Vivec feel when you stub your toe, or Trebonius curse when one of your spells goes awry, or Sugar Lips end up clapped in chains when you get caught of petty pick pocketing? Well she might if you were an unscrupulous beast who felt it necessary to drag the whole ship down with you. Bad example. But surely you get the point. Never think yourself more important than you are.
I'll give you an example, I'll spin a tale so that you shall understand properly that you alone can not change the world. That it takes more than one to revolutionise, that not even I can bring about great changes for all my boasting and bragging. And as with all great stories I'll start with a beautiful lady…
Once upon a time, in the land of the Dumner, a prison ship carrying two prisoners and more guards than necessary for such lowly stock, moored up to the tiny village of Seyda Neen. The ship was badly damaged following a storm which had battered and rampaged throughout the night, tearing apart it's mast, and leaving the once great beauty limping into the small backwater. I can't tell you what was happening inside, but only one prisoner was escorted out, the other, well other than being allowed to stretch his legs round the lighthouse was quickly stuffed back below decks, no longer than an hour had passed before it set sail, I don't know where, we were never told where the prisoners went, to stop people breaking in is my guess. But anyway, the lady was escorted into the Census office, and wandered through at her own sweet time before exiting into the wide world. I believe she had some gold, I could hear it from my perch, but that could have been the rusty dagger they had supplied her with for… shall we say protection. In fact she was next to naked, only sporting a rather fetching band and nappy. She wasn't at the age where the delightful bosom that she sported sagged to her midriff like some dancers. I digress.
She spoke to a few commoners, who stared at her, turned away in disgust at the lack of clothing, or at the weak attempts at flattery. But eventually she was directed to the Trade House, and to the Strider just on the brow of a small hill to the East. Under the guidance of a Guard, she visited the Trade House first, and with less coinage then she went in, appeared clothed in a simple gown and shoes.
It should have taken three hours from Seyda to Balmora, should have you might note. Should have taken three hours. IT should have cost a few gold pieces, but I snuck on in my way, they didn't see me until just before the Odai Plateau. They had been laughing between themselves, gossiping, the caravener had warmed under the influence of flin, and the lady, Talbia, she seemed so eager to talk to a woman, her whole body seemed to soak up the attention, the conversation, the company, like muck sponge. Her face was animated as she questioned Fiorngeld about her background, about her trade, she even managed to winkle a few secrets out. Information that proved to be lucrative.
We slowed down to allow the beast time to water, to rest before the last push, and as neither were rushed the dawdled, get more and more merry, until they fell asleep under a tree, snoring quietly. You want me to say I slit their throats while they slept, while they were vulnerable, there red blood staining the simple clothes, dying it with their essence. Sending them to a life thereafter of haunting the spot where they met there demise. You desire me to tell you that I took out the giant's legs, maiming it before the death blow, before dicing it up and scattering it to the gathering nix. Roasting the remainder for myself, dining on a feast of giant bug. And it sounds glorious and worthy of one such as me. So for now I'll let you come to your own conclusions. But I assure you that never again were the three seen. So did I manage to make two humans and one rather large strider vanish into thin air or did I slaughter them?
You might be wondering at this point, what is the point of this example? Well let me tell you. Talbia's mission in life was to the Nerevarine, I'm sure you all know who that is or was, if you listened to the temples and your elders you would. Who do you think she was sent to bring about the downfall of? The Sixth House… And yet do you see them now? Are they infecting our towns and cities? Do they prey upon the weak and infirm. No, because the destruction of one person did not alter the strands of fate and destiny.
So what about me, I know, you think that I am the one person who believes they can and I assure you I'm not the only one. Everyone believes it about themselves, we are all that self important. But some of us aren't meant to be dictated to by fate, by the Daedra, by the governments, by anyone. Some of us are meant to dance on the threads, plucking and weaving without care for we are the truly enlightened.
But you've made a liar of me, I promised not to dwell in the past but in the present, where we all belong. You allow me to digress without need, and to waste the precious time that we all have. The present, the present, that is what I need to tell you about, it has a most pressing need.
As you all may have heard if you haven't been slumming it in the Ashland's, Feligotte and Thostas have wed, uniting Hlaalu and Redoran alike, which you may think is beneficial to all. No more Telvanni secrecy, holed away in towers tall, deigning us with their presence when they have absorbed enough magicka not to die. Now wasn't that very cynical of me. Of course they were a great House, how else would they have prospered, but not very forward thinking. Perhaps if they had sought to make a match with another House, then the tale would have changed? But it wasn't to be. So now in Vvardenfell there is just two, united. A monopoly so to speak, which isn't the most liberating of experiences as you might have felt. Prices have gone up, and unfortunately for the Redoran, they aren't as needed. For if there are not inter House wars and treachery, then who will they fight. The Blight has gone, and the Sixth House felled. What threat is there? So who has prospered most?
I happened to be in the vicinity of a disgruntled Nordic female who was tearing her way from Moonmouth Fort in rage, and as she passed to hunt wild guar and netch, I just happened to overhear her. Perhaps I followed her for a few hours but that is by the by. It appears that after the day of destruction her and her husband had wreaked upon the innocent Telvanni, things hadn't exactly gone her way. Thostas had played it meek and mild for the first week or so, wallowing in the glory but always giving her full credit. But there was something that didn't ring true in all of his protestations of love. It would appear that this match was not for love, and that Thostas might have got too carried away in his role and alerted her to some small inconsistencies.
The value of goods had rocketed over the past moon, but none of it seemed to be shared, it was all going on "necessary expenses", but it was never explained where it was actually going. Thostas had done the equivalent of patting her on the head and telling her to go off and play soldier some more. Which didn't go down well. For some unexplained reason the Hlaalu Canton had expanded to the Telvanni, surrounding the Redoran, until Thostas asked politely if the Redoran could be moved, temporarily of course to the Foreign Quarter, just until the new canton was built. So the Redorans were moved into at the expense of new comers. Which didn't sit well really.
In Vivec riots broke out, leaving the Redoran House damaged, they began to move out, retreating to Ald'ruhn, away from the ever increasing Hlaalu influence. But even there seeds of doubt began to sprout. Feligotte was losing their trust, she couldn't stop the invasion, she was just letting Thostas conqueror more and more territory without putting up a fight. She was no longer the mighty leader in their eyes, her Nordic heritage no longer an asset, but a burden as the insults began, stupid nord was perhaps the politest of them all. But still she didn't hear them for long as finally at the time of my meeting with her, not one moon after the Telvanni left, were the last remainders of her Great House, leaving for the mainland. Leaving her behind to the mercy of her tyrannical husband, whose soft words and meek appearance had lulled her into a false sense of security.
I believe she committed suicide, or so Thostas claimed. He didn't seem terribly concerned when she vanished for a few weeks, almost like he knew what had happened. Who is to say he didn't, she had been aware of assassins ever since the Telvanni Canton, but then that was nothing out of the norm.
Anyway, where there was once three, then two and then one. What would the lessons of the past have taught Thostas if he had paid heed? But that is for the future and not for the present.