Dance of the ja-Kha'jay.
By Lakyan.
Chapter 14 – The Tides Rise
Year 4E3 2nd of Morning Star. The Green Emperor Way, Imperial City, Cyrodiil.
Ri'rassi led Ja-Kha'jay back to the palace. The rapscallion had been playing in some mud somewhere. He'd vanished from sight an hour beforehand, and had returned covered in dirt and grime. She'd delivered a sharp smack to his bottom, like any mother disciplines her child. He'd burst into tears, and Ri'rassi fumed even more. He lad did not understand he could be assassinated. There were many people who did not want to see a half-Khajiit on the throne, even if he was a Septim. She led her son up the steps, where the palace guard opened the door for her. Her sharp Khajiiti hearing picked up a large four-legged creature approaching from behind her. She whirled around, to see a Senche collapse on the stairs below her, dumping the rider unceremoniously on the ground. Shocked recognition spread across her face.
"Raminus?" She gasped.
Raminus Polus was in poor shape. He had a sling on his arm, which had healed crooked. He hadn't let the healer set it properly, and it would need to be re-broken. He looked gaunt, his face pallid with malnutrition. His breathing was laboured, indicating a fever of some sort.
Ri'rassi swept down the stairs and tended to her friend. "Fetch Ocato, and a healer!" She barked to one of the guards, who immediately obeyed.
Ja-Kha'jay hid behind his mother, half-scared of the half dead man.
"You, get that Senche into the basement with the other one. Tend his wounds like you'd tend your own." Ri'rassi told the other guard, who complied, motioning to more guards to help him carry the huge beast.
Ri'rassi picked the Arch-Mage up off the ground, pulling an arm over her shoulder. Ja-Kha'jay picked up Raminus' staff, unsure as to what to do, as he watched his Mama carry the strange man inside. He looked confused, he'd never seen his mother so close to any man other than Ocato.
"Ja-Kha'jay." Ocato called as he dashed around the corner, a healer trailing him.
Ja-Kha'jay looked startled, and dropped the staff. "Mama! Strange Man!" He pointed inside.
Ocato knelt down and gave Raminus' staff back to the lad. He hoisted the Crown Prince onto his hip and dashed into the castle. He climbed the stairs into the Royal Suite, and found Ri'rassi dumping Raminus onto the bed in Mazoga's old room.
"By the Nine! The man's half dead!" Ocato hissed.
"Not if I can help it." The healer charged into and ejected Ri'rassi and Ocato, Ja-Kha'jay still in his arms.
"Good boy, Ja-Kha'jay. I'll take that." Ri'rassi took the staff from her son, and laid it on the table.
"Who was that?" The Prince asked, his vocabulary a little better.
"That was Mummy's friend, Raminus Polus. He is very sick." Ri'rassi told her son.
"Daddy's friend too?" Ja-Kha'jay twisted his around to look at his carrier's face.
"Yes. And Daddy's boss." Ocato told the lad.
"Well, he does out rank you." Ri'rassi smiled at Ocato, though worry still showed in her eyes.
"Father Martin's friend too?" Ja-Kha'jay asked.
"No. Your father didn't know Raminus," Ri'rassi told him. "And you ask too many questions."
Ja-Kha'jay squirmed around in Ocato's arms. "Down, Down!" he squealed.
"Not till you've had a bath!" Ocato told him. "You're filthy!"
Ja-Kha'jay made a face.
Year 4E3 2nd of Morning Star. Dune, Elsweyr.
"He's alive?" Mazoga hissed.
"How is he?" Modryn asked the Empress Regent.
"He has a broken arm which needs to be reset." Ri'rassi told the Dark Elf.
A painful scream echoed from Modryn's speaking stone. The Orc, Dunmer and Khajiit all winced at the sound.
"I think the healer had to re-break the arm." Ri'rassi said.
"When will the Arch-Mage be able to return?" Modryn asked.
"Once he's healed. He's hasn't had much to eat since he left Almalexia. What he did get was caught by S'rin, the Senche. With some decent food, he should be on his feet in a couple of days. That arm though, will take some time." Ri'rassi explained.
"Very Well. We've received word the Mane has retreated to Torval, preparing for a siege." Modryn told her.
"What of the Siege Crawler? Anything salvageable?" The Empress Regent asked.
"Naught but scrap iron. With the Mane retreating to Torval, he's placed the No-Quin-al desert between us. An effective barrier." Modryn explained.
"There are few oases in the desert. Horses will be useless. Lord M'kall has no use for camels that close to Cyrodiil, and Dune was obliterated. Rimmen would be the only other place to purchase the animals. Perhaps the guar from Morrowind would be better suited." Ri'rassi pondered.
"The guar live in a harsh environment, ash planes, blight storms, little vegetation. Its seems parts of Morrowind are very desert-like indeed." Modryn confirmed.
"Alright. As soon as Raminus is healed, he will ride with Ocato and me to Riverhold. We'll gather some farmers and muster the guar. Gather your cavalry and send them to Riverhold. Meanwhile, you travel down the Valenwood border, so you don't have to face the desert. We'll arrange for the Argonians to march on Torval, if they can get around Leyawiin, Alabaster and Corinth. Knowing the slipperiness of the Argonians, they can do that easily. The Bretons will surround the southern coast on my orders. See you outside Torval." Ri'rassi broke contact.
"The Empress Regent is marching to battle?" Mazoga asked.
"It seems so. Odd, given her condition." Modryn answered.
"What do you mean?"
"She's pregnant." Oreyn told her.
"Go Ocato."
Year 4E3 14th of First Seed. Off the coast of the Quin-Rawl Peninsula, Elsweyr.
Water splashed up the sides of the warships as its prow sliced through the dark depths.
The standard flying from the stern was Breton, identifying it as part of the fleet moving to surround the Khajiiti province of Elsweyr. The Confederacy ships had not been sighted yet, and the Captain assumed the Mane had given up to the forces surrounding him. The moons, Masser and Secunda were new, so no moonlight fell onto the sea, rendering everything black. A mage stood in the crow's nest, casting an eerie magical light on the sea. Nothing had been sighted, other than Dreugh, who rose to the surface in mild interest. A small ship darted in front of the warship.
Crunch! The mage spotted broken planks of wood floating by, and assumed the small ship was sunk. However, just outside the mage-light, the small ship sailed on, having tossed aside a crate, thinking to fool the Bretons into thinking they had been killed. The Khajiit on board smiled a toothy grin. The Mane's plan was working so far.
Year 4E3 9th of Rain's Hand. The Ne-Quin-al Desert, North of Orcrest, Elsweyr.
Raminus slumped forward, succumbing to the heat. He was dressed in a budi, a traditional Khajiit garb, better suited to the desert than his mages robes. His mount, S'rin, slowed to a halt, allowing Raminus to drink from his water-skin without spilling a drop. Raminus pour some into his friends mouth, knowing the Senche was grateful. Once they were sated, S'rin picked up his pace, and strode beside Ri'rassi and Ocato, who were riding J'urn, the other Senche confiscated from J'manna. Unlike S'rin, J'urn had not left the Imperial City since Ri'rassi had taken him in. He'd grown fat and heavy with all the attention from the palace guards, whom he'd become friends with. Now however, he was striding across his home desert, glad to be back, yet missing the luxury of the Palace. He'd had difficulty matching S'rin's pace, but as the desert thinned him down, he was finding it easier. Ocato had noticed Raminus and S'rin fall back then rejoin and said nothing. The heat was taking its toll on the High Elf too. He too was dressed in a budi, as was the Empress Regent herself. He sat behind her, wondering how she could tolerate the blazing sun. She sat calmly, knowing she was perfectly adapted for the desert. She handed her water-skin to her lover, knowing he'd already exhausted his own. If they were lucky they would reach the next oasis by nightfall. Ocato tapped her shoulder, giving the water back to her. He leaned forward, almost fainting in the glaring sunlight. Ri'rassi twisted her head, and saw Ocato's hood had fallen back. She pulled the white hood back over his head, as unconsciousness took hold of him. She reached back and tied his sleeves together, looping them over her shoulders so he would not fall of.
"Is there no end to this cursed desert?" Raminus asked, the heat making him irritable.
"We are not far from Orcrest, though we won't make it today." Ri'rassi said.
Raminus sighed deeply, pulling his hood even further over his face, so that only his mouth and chin were exposed.
Ri'rassi smiled, then gasped as she felt her unborn child kick. She lovingly rubbed the growing bump on her stomach, watching the desert ahead of them. Her host of guar-riders rode behind the Senche, their mounts too skittish to get any closer to the large cats.
Year4E3 30th of Second Seed. North of the city of Torval, Elsweyr.
Modryn Oreyn greeted the Empress Regent and her host of Guar riders into their camp. They arrived at dusk, Azura's star gleaming low in the evening sky. Masser and Secunda were about to rise, and the cool night air was refreshing. The temperature was not much cooler than the desert, but the air was humid, worse than the deserts dry heat.
"Welcome to our encampment, Empress Regent." Modryn bowed.
Ri'rassi jumped down from J'urn's back, her late pregnancy not hindering the litheness of her race.
"I'm glad to be her, and by Mara, it is good to see you face to face after so many months." Ri'rassi clasped Modryn's hand, shaking firmly.
"Never thought I'd see guar in Elsweyr." The Dunmer shook his head, eyeing the great pinkish reptiles.
"Never thought I'd see a Dark Elf in Elsweyr." Ocato clapped Oreyn on the back jokingly.
"Where is Mazoga?" Ri'rassi asked.
"In her tent I think." Modryn pointed.
They looked around just in time to see Raminus Polus get yanked into the tent. Ocato cocked his head in amazement, whilst Ri'rassi and Modryn cast each other knowing glances.
"I take it you left the Crown Prince in the Imperial Palace." Modryn led them between rows of tents.
"Yes, We left him in the care of his Aunt Ahnassi and Uncle Ra'jissan." Ri'rassi nodded. "He seems to get along with his young cousin?"
"Two peas in a pod, those two." Ri'rassi smiled widely.
"When is the next one due?" Oreyn asked.
"Soon. Too soon." Ri'rassi sighed, rubbing her large bump as Oreyn led her into a lavish tent. "I must have been pregnant for longer before I realised. It's looking more and more like the child will be born here in Elsweyr." She plopped onto a large cushion.
"Right, I'll leave you get settled. Is there anything you'd like?" The Dunmer asked.
"No. We'll be fine thanks." Ocato dismissed the mer, who vanished quickly.
Ri'rassi flopped back on the cushion, an arm draped over her face. Ocato sat down beside her, an arm around her shoulders.
"By Mara it feels good to lie down." The Khajiit woman sighed.
"It has been a long ride…" Ocato whispered in her ear. Her ear flicked when Ocato's warm breath washed over it.
"That tickles." She scolded gently.
Ocato gave her a playful look, and gently touched the delicate hairs, causing her ear to flick again. Ri'rassi's tail started twitching as she tickled her mer lover.
Year 4E3 3rd of Mid Year. The Mane's Palace, Torval, Elsweyr.
"Right, lay out the situation, and don't gloss over any details." Nhad-hatta IV demanded of his Cathay general, tail twitching in mild irritation.
"Yes Mane. The Imperial Army is camped a day's march from the northern edge of the city. They lost the Siege Crawler to the Bosmer, so we don't have that threat to worry about. There are Bosmer and Altmer regiments just beyond the Valenwood border ready to march on us. The Argonians of Black Marsh have marched under the Topal Sea, and have gathered to the west of the city limits. The Breton navy has completely surrounded the coast, meaning nothing goes in or out. We are unsure if S'Nash managed to get through…" The general told the Mane, wincing as the Mane picked up an ornate vase.
"Is there no hope?" The Mane asked, toying with the fragile vessel.
"If S'Nash did get through, then we hope to Oblivion and back that they listen." The general answered.
"What of the Command of the gathered armies?" The Mane continued to trun the case over and over in his clawed handed.
"General Lizard-of-the-Deep leads the Argonian armies. Our informants have been unable to ascertain the command of the Altmer and Bosmer armies. The Imperial army seems to be lead by Arch-Mage Raminus Polus. He led the march on Arenthia and secured the victory over Falinesti. He has two advisors, both capable fighters. The Dark Elf, Modryn Oreyn, Guildmaster of the Cyrodiil Fighter's Guild. The other is Sir MAzoga, Knight-Errant of the Order of the White Stallion. She helped the Count and Countess of Leyawiin escape…" The general explained.
"Go on…" The Mane gestured, before continuing to play with the vase.
"We have received word that the Empress Regent herself has ridden across the Ne-Quin-Al desert to lead her men against us. She has brought many guar-riders with her, significantly increasing their numbers. She also brought her Altmer consort with her." The general told the Mane.
The Mane's ears laid back and he snarled deeply. He flung the vase at his general, who dodged it. Nhad-hatta's tail flicked back and forth in his rage.
"Mother of that cursed half-breed heir! And she brought her pet High Elf jekosiit! Ready the men, and prepare for a siege." He really wasn't going to enjoy this.