Of Elder Scrolls and Huntsmen: Dragon Rose

by JessesanMan

Team RWBY finds themselves in a strange, new world where Grimm are nonexistent and magic is commonplace. They journey to find a way home, but along the way are caught up in several ancient prophecies and must save this world they find themselves in. As time goes on, they adapt to the dangerous land of Skyrim and fight against its foes be they small, large, or godly.

88. Liberty and Justice

I am really glad to get this one out. Probably won't have another chapter by Valentine's Day. xTRESTWHOx and NaanContributor really carried this one to the finish line for me. Read and enjoy and maybe give a look at the TVtropes page afterwards.

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Chapter 85: Liberty and Justice

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5th of Morning Star

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Morning came after a bit of fitful sleep. Thankfully, for Yang, she was tired enough from the previous day and warmed up by the alcohol enough to conk out relatively easily. It was still an uneasy rest, though. Between the constant sting of silver that she could never seem to wash away and the mild horror of yesterday morning's events, she was nowhere near comfortable. Still, she got enough rest and woke up feeling less hungry than the other two days. She still dreamed about eating a whole roasted pig, but that wasn't too unusual. The wolf only ever dreamed about things like that and sleeping in a puppy pile.

She stumbled up to the main area and nabbed herself a quick breakfast, taking a bit to give to Grisvar while she got herself some water and washed her face, trying not to think about the state of her hair after her time down here. She tried to comfort herself with the thought that it would be one of the many injustices she wouldn't have to stomach for much longer. Soon, she was fully awake and awaiting word from Madanach with the rest of the prisoners. The King in Rags had popped in and out of his hovel a few times, giving instructions to different men for various reasons. After a minute, Yang noticed that his most closely-trusted were picking out different prisoners and having them grouped together.

'Teams?' she wondered, looking over the loose structure. As she wondered what they were being formed for, Borkul came over to her.

"Come on, newblood, Madanach wants you with us," the Beast told her before walking back to the man. Yang followed the Orc, figuring the Reachman leader was about to explain things.

"Ready to leave this gods-forsaken hole?" Madanach asked her as she approached.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she answered, showing him her pick. "Figured I'd bring this along. That cool?"

"I'm having the order for everyone to bring theirs passed around right now. Not sure what we'll find in the Dwemer ruins," he admitted. "Luckily, we have a couple of volunteers to scout ahead for us."

Going by his tone, Yang assumed those 'volunteers' were pressed for one reason or another. Looking around, she noted that three particular people weren't present. Quickly understanding the implication, she nonchalantly shrugged and stated, "Well, I'm not complaining. If there are robots or cave critters down there, I'd rather those guys make 'em come out of their hidey holes first."

"Exactly," Madanach agreed with a nod. "Figured you'd appreciate them being in front of us, as well. We'll be heading in soon, and hopefully, we'll reach the surface before the day has really begun." The old man sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Can't wait to feel sunlight again."

"I'm going to roll around in grass the first chance I get," Duach said. "Nothing but dirt and rocks for years."

"I just wish I had time to say something to Granny Bothela, if she's still alive up there," Odvan lamented.

"I know how you feel," Uraccen told the younger man while patting his shoulder. "I'm not sure if I'll ever see Uaile again."

"Wait, Uaile?" Yang asked, recalling hearing the name before. "I'm pretty sure that was the name of Nepos' maid. Or, well, she was pretending to be his maid."

Uraccen looked at Yang with shock and horror. "You- You didn't!"

"Oh no, she's fine!" Yang quickly told him, holding up her hand defensively. "Bruised ribs and a sore jaw at worst. Maybe… No, it was one of the guys whose arm I broke."

The old man let out a sigh of relief, followed soon by a look of realization. "Then, if she's an agent of the Forsworn…I could see her soon!"

"Yeah, I guess," Yang figured with a shrug. "Something to look forward to, right?"

The Reachman, for his part, had tears in the corner of his eyes joined by a bright, blubbering smile.

"Pull yourself together, friend," Madanach told the man while holding onto one of his shoulders. "We've yet to set off. However, we're about to begin." Madanach gestured to the crowd. "Odd number teams, down the tunnel first. Wait at the door."

Half the prisoners shuffled forward and went past Madanach's group, being led in by Borkul. Looking at them pass by, Yang saw that most of those groups were composed of some of the bulkiest men in the mine. Madanach's entourage went in right after them, including herself, and the even number groups came in behind them. Yang saw the tunnel ahead of them, having been hidden behind the food storage closet this whole time. They had to go in at single-file, with their taller members needing to crouch to avoid hitting their heads on the broken-through rock, but the tunnel soon opened up just before they reached a large, bronze door, carved stone in the familiar style of the Dwemer surrounding it and extending several feet into the tunnel. There was an abandoned pickaxe and shovel, both heavily worn and weathered, off to the side, evidence of the digging that had to be done over the course of years to achieve this.

"Those three aren't back yet," Borkul called back to Madanach.

"We can't wait for them to take their sweet time," the old Reachman told him. "Let's head in, and we'll see if we come across them on our way."

"Probably stuck in one of their traps or something," someone muttered, causing a domino effect of people discussing what kind of brutal deaths they imagined the three attempted rapists had bumbled into. Yang tried to pay it no heed, or at least reason to herself that it'd be for the best if their "scouts" survived to report back to them so they could all have a safer journey, though a vindictive part of her still wanted them to pay more for what they did.

The first part of the ruins was in complete disarray. Stones were shifted unevenly, rocks and dirt had fallen in, and roots had grown down from the ceiling. If it wasn't for the bits of Dwemer metal furniture and fixtures here and there, the place could have been mistaken for a cave. After passing a set of stairs, however, things seemed to straighten up and ruined cavern gave way to a structured hallway that made a sharp turn to the right, then the left.

"Dear gods, a building," someone muttered. "I almost forgot what they were like."

"Eyes sharp, guys," Yang warned them. "I've been through some Dwemer ruins before, and they're not the safest places."

"What can we expect?"

Before Yang could answer, Borkul brought the whole procession to a halt. A huge number of cobwebs lay before him, but, luckily, it seemed that the larger Frostbite spiders had already been killed. Their bloodied corpses were strewn about the floor, their hairy exoskeletons dotted with caved-in holes. Partially dried green blood stained the bodies and the ground around them, telling them that the spiders hadn't been dead for more than ten minutes, tops.

"Looks like those three got past here all right," he said. "Not as useless as they acted."

"Then let's go," Madanach ordered. "If they cleared the way, I have no complaints."

They started again, passing through the once-infested section of the ruins. Yang heard a whoosh of magical flame and looked back to see that some of the men had decided to set some of the nests on fire and just shook her head before turning her attention back to the march.

After some narrowed tunnels, the group emerged into a large chamber where steam pistons continued their eternal pumping, sending something through a few large pipes that ran throughout the room. As Yang wondered if the place had any connection to the water pipe in the prison, she saw the three men running back to the group from the hallway in front of them.

"Well, they're finally back," someone groaned as the scouts began yelling. "And here I was hoping they were-"

"Help us!"

"We can't hurt them!"

"Metal ball men!"

Most of the crowd was confused, but Yang had a good idea of what it was before they even appeared. Two bronze spheres rolled up behind the scouts and unfurled into their vaguely humanoid shapes. One took aim with a crossbow arm and fired three bolts, each hitting the furthest man in the back, felling him. As he dropped dead, the machine aimed for another but was interrupted by three fireballs and one spike of ice slamming into it. The other one was purely melee and chased after the intruders, but soon found itself fighting against several of the strongest men from the prison. A couple speared at it with shovels to knock it off balance while others tried to take it apart with swings of their pickaxes. While it was hardy and continued fighting against the odds, in the end, no one was hurt by it and they tore it apart in short order. Yang helped to charge the archer before it could fire on anyone else, using her pickaxe more like a club than anything else to knock it off-kilter. A few men joined her, hooking their implements around or through its limbs and pulling them taut. Madanach himself bathed the construct's body in flames. While the metal was mostly unharmed, the automaton's pistons and boiler were overheated and began popping loose until it was unable to move itself anymore. The men then let it drop to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

"Damn, that's some hard metal," Borkul commented as he lifted one of the battered arms that had a hammer on its end. He wedged the point of his pick into the already dented elbow joint and planted a foot on the upper arm before giving a mighty heave and twist that popped the weaponized appendage free with the squeal of bending metal. Snatching up his prize and giving it a swing, the Orc seemed to like it much better than his mining tool.

"Yeah, it's Dwemer metal," Yang pointed out while more expertly unbolting the crossbow arm from the other sphere, putting her previous experience with the task to good use, even with the lack of proper tools. She looked it over a moment, finding the drawing mechanism and giving it a test pull to find that it still functioned. The firing mechanism was awkwardly at the back of the weapon, and she had no way to change that here, but she figured it was still better than nothing as she took its bolts as well.

"Those damn things jumped us out of nowhere," Mirk explained to Madanach as he and his surviving fellow regained their breath. "They nearly shot us several times, but the caves wound around enough that they ne'er got a clean shot. ...Not 'til the end, at least."

"Good on you for drawing them out. Now, take the lead and draw out the next thing," the King in Rags ordered them. The two winced in fear, but did as they were ordered.

A few of the prisoners had looted the area for what they could find, one group coming across a set of Dwarven plate armor and splitting the pieces among themselves and another finding a handful of swords and shields. Some others had even followed Borkul and Yang's example and took apart the Dwarven spheres for whatever parts they could make use of as makeshift arms and armor.

Soon, they were heading forward again. They passed through the winding tunnels Mirk had mentioned, with Yang nabbing a couple more bolts stuck in the walls or scattered on the ground, before they came out into another wide space set with machinery and pipes.

"I think these might have been some sort of pump rooms," Yang quietly surmised. "Probably how the waterways up top work."

"This is where those things came after us," Mirk explained, turning back to the small army.

"Then go make sure there aren't any more!" Borkul barked at them. The two men obeyed and went forward, heading up a short flight of stairs and past the piping. Before they went far, however, Yang sprang forward and pulled them both back by their shirts. Before anyone could question her actions, fire spouted out from the walls where the two men had just been, drops of flaming oil hitting the stone floor and slowly burning away.

"Watch out for traps," she reminded them while letting them both go and gesturing towards the flagstone that was only slightly different from the rest of the floor. The two looked at her in confusion, then continued on.

A few moments later, the group started to move again, heading after their involuntary scouts. As Yang crested the promenade's stairs, she thought she heard a distinct metallic clanking as well as the sound of shouting and running.

"Sounds like they ran into something else," she warned the rest, readying her crossbow.

A moment later, the scouts were seen running back full force, but this time what they were running from made everyone pause. A giant, man-shaped automaton stomped after them, its head nearly scraping the ceiling that was over twenty feet above them when it stepped up to their level. One arm was like a massive warhammer while the other looked like a double-bladed axe. The giant Centurion seemed to take in the sight of them all before continuing its approach anyways.

"Scatter!" Yang called out, trying to take aim at the machine's eye slots, hoping that it would do something to slow it.

The bolt hit the Centurion's brow, barely noticed by the animunculus as it reared back an arm and swung down at a group of men running from it. They jumped out of the way, but a couple were sent flying by the force of its blow, their bones shattering on impact, then once again when they slammed into the walls and ceiling. Men ran up to try and take out its legs with pickaxes and pilfered weapons, but the Centurion kicked out, knocking many away and stepping down on one unfortunate soul. Spells flew, most of them doing little aside from leaving scorch marks, but a few ice shards did dent or penetrate the metal body in places.

Yang had fired three more bolts before deciding that her weapon wasn't doing any good against the robot and set it down before taking up her pickaxe. She ran up from behind and tried to bash its ankle, but found that portion of the Centurion to be thicker than she expected. Several men ran by her, some yelling that she should do the same, making hits when they found the opportunity while the mages kept their distance and threw whatever magic they could at it, Madanach included among their number. Yang was actually impressed with the spells he was calling up, often being something literally ten times greater than what those around him were doing, like somehow casting a dozen ice spears simultaneously.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Braig unleashing a stream of frost onto one of the Centurion's legs, nearly freezing it in place. Unfortunately, doing so gained the automaton's attention, and it swung its hammer for him. Yang immediately ran for the man, reaching out to get him out of the way as he saw his incoming doom and froze on the spot. She pushed him away and the hammer made contact, Yang barely pushing her Aura to its diminished limit to tank the blow despite her ailing body's protests. The woman was sent flying with a blow that would have pulverized any normal person, hitting a nearby wall with a shout. Pain filled Yang's world and everything seemed to be swimming around her head. She was barely cognizant of an upside-down image of the robot turning and stomping towards her, seemingly intent on finishing her off.

Just as the Huntress tried to pull herself up to face the behemoth, ice-cold wind, snow, and ice poured in from the side, coating the Centurion almost from head to toe. Yang looked over and saw that Madanach was the source of the spell, gritting his teeth as he focused. The Centurion turned around and actually seemed to be pushed back by the ferocious magical gale, holding up its arms to try and block it as it took a slow step towards the King in Rags and the men adding their own magic to the mix.

"Get up, Yang!" he called out to her. "Get up!"

She stumbled her way to her feet and looked back at the Centurion, which was beginning to glow hot despite the cold hitting it. After a moment, she realized the robot was responding to the magic, heating itself up with some kind of internal mechanism to keep from freezing solid. Desperate to do something, she looked around and found a piece of scrap metal with a hooked point before grasping it.

"Switch to fire!" she called out, running behind the Centurion again and looking it over for a weak point. "It's heating itself up! Fire!"

"Fire!" Madanach called out, one hand switching to the burning element before the other. Everyone followed his example, pouring flaming magic upon the animunculus. The Centurion immediately began pouring steam from every opening it could to release excess heat, but Yang was already running up, her target in mind.

As the machine readied another strike, Yang leaped up and swung her makeshift weapon at the thin hydraulic pipe she saw at the back of the left knee. It pierced through, and she pulled. Hot oil spewed out from above, a few drops hitting her skin with short sizzles, but she was clear of most of it. The Centurion listed over as its leg stopped supporting its weight, losing its balance and beginning to fall.

"Everyone run!" she called out as she landed on her feet and got away from the thing. "Go around and leave it!"

"You heard her, men!" Madanach ordered. "Let's get out of here!"

The survivors left the crippled robot behind, only slowing to look back and make sure it was still far behind them. Soon, they were going by what appeared to be the place it had been resting, a station with pipes and sockets that would have easily fit the Centurion, and then the hallways thankfully narrowed once again.

Before long, they reached another doorway, but there was someone waiting there with a few sacks by her side. She was decked in leather, hides, and feathers, her hair stylized into a mohawk with a braid to one side. The woman watched them coming with a serious expression, then respectfully bowed.

"Madanach," she greeted the King in Rags as he approached, "I've brought most of what you asked. Couldn't find the foreign girl's things, unfortunately. They're locked up tight." The woman then looked over to Yang and raised an eyebrow, cocked her head, and rested her weight on one leg with a hand pressed against her hip. "Huh, so you're the one?"

"I guess so," Yang answered, then realized what she had just said. "Wait, you tried to get my stuff?"

"'Tried' is the key word," she clarified. "I don't know how much to believe of the rumors going on up top about your arrest. But whoever you are or whatever you did, it got them to guard your property like it belongs to the Silver-Bloods themselves." Madanach walked over to the Forsworn agent to pat her shoulder.

"I was hoping Kaie here could bring it to you, but we can't have everything, I suppose," Madanach explained. "Still, I think you could do just as well with this." Kaie handed over one of the sacks to her king, and Madanach opened it to present the contents to Yang.

"Oh, uh, thanks," Yang said as she took out the hide-made clothing, finding it to be a whole outfit of the Reachmen tribal style, including boots. Even with her suppressing cuffs on, she could feel magical enchantments flowing through the whole ensemble.

"It's blessed with the old magics, Armor of the Old Gods." He chuckled. "You deserve better than those rags. Think of it as something to remember me by when we split ways." He then nodded. "You better get ready before we break out into the city. Kaie, watch her back."

"Yes sir," the woman answered. The others were getting their own outfits, most of them ordinary hide or leather armor. After a few moments, Yang found a decent place to hide away and get dressed, and looked at her new outfit as she put it on. It covered her whole torso, fitting her well to a surprising degree, with a pair of leggings that fit into the boots with no problem. Unfortunately, she couldn't keep on the bone-studded bracers after she tried to slip them over her forearms, forced to tuck them into her belt for now thanks to enchantment overlap from her damned manacles. But as the rest of the armor began to feed their enchantments into the woman, she felt like she was being given back a piece of herself that she didn't know was missing.

She wasn't sure about wearing the last two pieces, since they were more jewelry than armor, but decided to put them on after figuring out that they were as much a part of the set of enchantments as the rest. First was a necklace of raven feathers laced together side by side, with the skull of the bird serving as the pendant, which was draped over her collarbones like a small shawl. The second was more confusing, but she quickly figured out that the circle of carved horn and antler was meant to be some kind of headdress. With a bit of finagling, she eventually managed to work her voluminous hair around and through the magicka-infused wreath to secure it against the crown of her head, the points of four horns curving forward from her temples and more attached feathers blending into her locks.

"I want to thank you," Yang heard and turned toward Kaie. "You may have upset things for a moment, but you managed to get Madanach out of prison."

"Yeah, uh…" Yang wasn't sure how to tell the woman that she didn't want to be the one releasing Madanach back out onto the world. "I just wish we could do this a little more quietly."

"You're in luck, the streets are clear. Nothing but maybe a few guardsmen between us and the gate." The woman smiled while looking her over. "I was told you're not a Nord, but it took me a moment to see. What are you? Are you one of those Akavir people?"

"No, I'm something way different," Yang told her while tightening the straps on her new armor. She looked at one of the limiter shackles with disdain and Kaie took a closer look as well.

"Ah, I know these types. We'll cut them off of you as soon as we're out."

"Guess it takes time?" Kaie nodded at her question and Yang sighed. "Bummer. The guys all dressed yet?"

Kaie leaned back and looked over. "Almost, but not quite safe yet."

"Right." Yang worked on smoothing out her mussed-up hair while trying to figure out what she should do right now. She stuck out like a sore thumb at the moment thanks to her hair and the outfit, especially combined, so it wasn't like she could break off from the rest of the escapees into the city. Plus, she was probably still considered a criminal by the Markarth guards. Which reminded her of the ones that were in their way. She was probably going to have to lead the charge and thrash them first to keep them from being swarmed and murdered by the bloodthirsty crowd. Half of them were already murderers or had more than a few almost justifiable reasons to be murderously angry. Even if she was fast enough with her handicap, she was going to need to keep their unconscious bodies out of harm's way somehow.

There was a lot to deal with, and not much time to talk to Madanach about it. Her head was starting to spin with all of the things coming to mind that she wished she'd thought of before.

"All right, it's safe for your virgin eyes," Kaie teased her. Yang smirked as she followed the other woman out and back towards Madanach, who was now dressed in hides and feathers, managing to almost look regal in the ensemble. Yang was willing to bet that it was enchanted similarly to the armor they'd given her, if not much better.

"So, we're ready to go?" Yang asked him.

"That we are." He looked over to her with a small smile. "It suits you. I know you won't join us, but if you ever wish to see justice in the Reach, then you can always come and find us."

"Thanks, but… I've got a lot of stuff to do," she told him. "Like, save the world level stuff."

"Ah, well then don't let us keep you," he said with a laugh.

"All right. So, now what?"

"Now? I announce to all of Markarth that I have returned. It'll take years, but I'll organize the Forsworn again. We'll reclaim our land, and then, when power is ours, we'll have peace. A kingdom." His smile brightened at that.

Yang shook her head. "I don't know if you'll get peace like this, much less in your lifetime, but I can't stop you now."

He harrumphed. "Yang, if I thought your ways would work, trust me, I would try it in a heartbeat. But it won't. The Nords only understand one thing."

"Yeah, and they live for it." Yang felt sadness tugging at her heart for the people around her. "You're trying to fight off the Nords when that's something they love to do. Their whole culture is based on glory in battle."

"That may be, but the people of the Reach know struggle," Madanach emphasized. "And it is the struggle that will find the Nords wanting. They may love battles and war, but they will find that they hate the strife that my people can bring them." He nodded and crossed his arms. "Give it time, and you'll see. We held it once before, we only need to hold a tighter grip the next time."

Yang sighed, feeling a few eyes on her back after their argument.

"Well, let's head out," she finally suggested. " I know you guys want to feel some sunshine at least as much as I do."

That much they could agree on, at least. The freed prisoners began to stream out of the door, coming out onto the top of a staircase, Yang, Madanach, Kaie, and Braig bringing up the rear. Many of them stopped almost as soon as they felt the sun and wind on their skin again, the ones who had been locked up for years the most affected, closing their eyes in rapture. Yang found herself doing the same, inhaling the honestly rather dingy Markarth air with relief like she was on the crispest mountain top. Only now that she could breathe for the first time in days, without tasting any acrid traces of silver entering her body, did she realize just how ill she'd been feeling. Braig came up to Yang's side as they exited, getting her attention.

"Yang, I didn't get to thank you back there," he told her, to which she smiled.

"Hey, I was just doing what was right."

"That thing should have killed you with that one blow, yet you lived," he pointed out. "You don't even look hurt." Yang was thinking of what to say to that when he continued, "I don't know what it means, but Yang, I believe there's something about you. I know others think you're far too merciful, too soft, but I don't think that's what it is. You're powerful," he reasoned. "And you know it. You know what it means to have power over others and how to use it."

Now she felt more in the spotlight than when she was arguing with Madanach. "Well, I don't know if it's that deep. I mean, I guess…"

Yang's answer trailed off when she and the rest of the prisoners were suddenly cut off from their path of escape by a motley group of armored men and women marching up the stairs, a couple of which she recognized as the mercenaries from Karthwasten and the Orc woman others had referred to as Captain Urzoga. Marching from behind a line of them towards the front was Thonar Silver-Blood himself, dressed up in intricate heavy steel armor.

"Madanach!" the Nord man called out to the Reachman. "Think you can escape my prison, do you? You'll pay for what you've done to my family!" he swore while drawing his sword.

"Your family?!" Madanach challenged while drawing his bone axe. "You've poisoned the Reach with your tainted silver long enough, Thonar!"

The two men began to square up, hefting their weapons as their followers tried to spread themselves out as much as they could behind them on the landing and stairway. But before the two nemeses could get within reach of each other, Yang took a running leap and landed next to Madanach with a crouch. Everyone stopped in their tracks, then the King in Rags shook his head in disapproval.

"I know you have your own grievances," Madanach said coldly, taking another step past her, "but mine-"

"I need him alive, for just a little while," Yang told him, catching people on both sides off-guard. She then smirked. "Besides, you think that if you don't kill him now Thonar here's just going to continue living the good life?" Many eyes widened at that, the Silver-Blood's included. "I got my proof, Thonar! You're done," she taunted the man, who gnashed his teeth and prepared his sword for battle.

"You think you can take me down with this stunt, you stupid bitch?! The Forsworn Conspiracy will be buried along with you and the rest of these savages in that hole you just crawled out of! After all," he grinned viciously, "no one escapes Cidhna Mine!"

Just then, the sound of boots hit their ears, and behind Thonar's thugs appeared a column of legionnaires, all marching in lockstep. The newly freed prisoners seemed to shrink in on themselves, as what was once decent odds became incredibly tilted out of their favor. There was a flicker of uncertainty on Thonar's face, before the tension left him and he put on a confident smile at the sight.

"For once the Empire shows up when they're needed," he said. "Soldiers, these are escaped prisoners and Forsworn! They need to be-"

"Thonar Silver-Blood," one soldier in a crested helm and more intricate armor, marking him out as an officer, called out, "stand down at once! You are under arrest by order of the Legate Emmanuel Admand and cosigned by Jarl Igmund Hrolfdirson. Set aside your weapons, now!"

The man looked on in shock at the force set against him. Looking further down the road, more soldiers could be seen coming to back their fellows. Already they were outnumbered, and soon the number of legionnaires would eclipse the mercenaries and prisoners combined. Add in their professional training, and his soldiers-for-hire didn't stand a chance.

"Hold them off!" he screamed desperately while turning back towards the Forsworn. "Kill the prisoners! Now!" And just like that, the crowd erupted into bloody chaos around them.

The Silver-Blood madly chopped his sword at Madanach, who blocked and dodged to the best of his ability, but was found wanting against the crazed strength Thonar was displaying, and the few counterstrikes he managed just scraped against the steel armor. It didn't help that the Reachman was aged and malnourished by his time in prison.

Madanach used the dregs of his magicka to shock his attacker with a burst of electricity, and Thonar paused to scream through clenched teeth as sparks arced across his metal armor. This didn't bring the intended reprieve though, as Captain Urzoga swept in from the ensuing melee to strike the Forsworn leader down in her employer's stead before he could even take a breath. As the Orc's blade came down to cleave his skull, a yellow crossbow bolt suddenly impaled her leather-covered forearm, causing the large woman to drop her weapon with a clatter. Madanach was yet again forced onto the backfoot as Thonar recovered from his tazing, and nearly found himself skewered when a blonde figure stepped in and batted Thonar's sword away with a now-empty Dwemer crossbow.

"Yang?" he questioned the back of his rescuer curiously, seemingly calm despite his brush with death. The Huntress turned her head just enough to throw a cocky grin over her shoulder as she dropped the spent weapon rather than bothering to reload and brought her fists up, but didn't take her eyes off the frantic maniac with a sword in front of her.

"Hey, we might have our differences, and I think you're way too violent, but I still need you as a witness."

"I'll kill you both!" Thonar shouted while bringing his sword down. Yang raised her arms, using the manacles and her Aura to block the blade. It bit into the softer metal as she consciously kept her Aura from reinforcing it and stopped at her skin, and Yang simultaneously felt her Aura drain from damage and her Semblance drink in more power, reigniting the fading charge from the walloping the Centurion gave her in the tunnels.

'I hope this works,' she thought desperately. Either she needed to hold off long enough for the Legion and Forsworn to bring down the Silver-Blood mercenaries, or, if they didn't make it in time, she would have to handle the man herself.

She punched out, hitting steel with her knuckles and wincing at the pain. Thonar stumbled, but it wasn't enough to keep him back. He slammed his sword onto her again and again, and Urzoga soon joined him in trying to overwhelm Yang after yanking the bolt from her arm, the muscled prison guard trying to simply club her down with her bare fists. Mirk's other friend fell sprawling down the steps next to her, gutted by a spear, and she had to leap over him while continuing to block and parry Thonar and Urzoga's blows, as Madanach intercepted the mercenary responsible from stepping in and contributing to the assault against her. Her Aura shrunk further and further as her bones shook from the Orc's hits and the cuffs were becoming riddled with slash marks, but they were still clinging onto her, straining to hold down her strength and magicka as flickering but growing light spilled out of the gashes with a low hum.

Yang punched Urzoga's face, both of them crying out at the pain as one of her knuckles split against the Orc's tusks. She kept her Aura from trying to heal the wound, focusing it on guarding her as Thonar's sword came in again. She blocked it, the edge of the blade biting through what little Aura she was managing to hold onto as she did, and punched with her other arm while trying to summon a fireball. A puff of flame appeared above her knuckles, a good sign, even as it wasn't enough to so much as scorch the spot she hit. The force of the blow did stagger the man, however, and sent him stumbling back.

"Die already!" Urzoga roared as she seized the Huntress in a bear hug, pinning Yang's arms with her own just as solid limbs, and lifting her off of her feet before trying to crush the life out of her. Yang struggled and thrashed as the breath was squeezed from her lungs, and the captain gave a bloody grin. At least until the former prisoner abruptly settled down, she looked the sadistic bitch who'd thrown her into the men's cells right in the eye, and brought her knee up between her legs as hard as she could.

While not quite as dramatic as it would have been for a man, Yang still took satisfaction in her reaction as Urzoga's eyes crossed slightly with a hitched breath, and her whole body slackened. The werewolf then simply reared her head back, before snapping it forward into the bridge of Urzoga's nose with a crunch. While the incapacitated mercenary toppled back in a heap, Yang landed on her feet and turned to look at Thonar with red blood painted across her face, and her Aura nearly shattered.

With a battlecry, Thonar took his sword up and tried to bring it down on Yang's head. The blonde smirked as her hair finally brightened and her eyes turned red, both her fists coming up to meet the blade as the light and sound coming from her restraints peaked in intensity.

Her fists smashed together onto the blade from both sides, breaking it apart as the woman erupted in blazing, golden energy, the shackles on her arms exploding off her form in pieces along with the steel weapon, and a shockwave knocking almost everyone around her off their feet. With a surge, Yang felt her true strength return, and she seized Thonar's ankle out of the air before he could finish being propelled more than a foot away from her, and pulled him back in to meet his stomach with her fist again. This time she dented his armor and launched him into a wall, bowling two other people down in his flight. She then charged, one fist hitting the stone next to his head and shattering it before her other hand tore the helm from his head. He looked at her in pure terror as her hand reared back and shot towards his face.

The slap resonated across the battleground, gaining the attention of anyone who hadn't stopped fighting when she'd first activated her Semblance. Thonar spun a little and fell to the ground, blood and spittle leaving his mouth as he lay dazed, the side of his face already starting to swell up. Yang then took the helmet in her hands and crushed it, the expertly-made metal screaming out in protest as she treated the armor piece like an aluminum can. Several of the mercenaries began dropping their weapons, all knowing that they could not contend with something like the fiery woman before them. Even a few of the escaped prisoners stepped back in fear, while Madanach could only watch her with open awe and a hung jaw.

Before anyone could articulate their thoughts, something thundered down the street at the gate. Guardsmen were yelling about something before three words were yelled in a booming echo that caused many of the older citizens to hide and hunker down in fear, and several of the Forsworn to fall to their knees as traumatic memories were brought rushing back.

"Fus! Ro! Dah!" a feminine voice Shouted, blasting open the gates with a wall of force and a sound like the world's largest bell being struck. A young woman in red armor then stalked in, an air of rage and power hanging about her with a monstrous black and red scythe held at the ready. "Where's my sister?!"

"Oh hey, Ruby!" Yang called out cheerfully before coughing a few times to the side. The rest of Ruby's group followed her in along with- Yang blinked in surprise at seeing Aela, Farkas, and Vilkas with them, apparently also here to free her. "I guess my rescue party was on its-"

"Yang!" another voice called out before Blake jumped down from somewhere up above, shadows seeming to swirl behind her.

"Blake, wh-"

Yang was interrupted when her Faunus teammate dropped onto her chest and wrapped her up in a painfully tight hug. A laugh rose up from her, but that too was interrupted when she saw Blake's face coming dangerously close to her own. The Faunus' eyes locked onto hers and held her gaze as she inched closer, causing her partner's own eyes to blink back to purple in wonder and her smoldering hair to be abruptly extinguished. Yang was transfixed by the intensity of those bright yellow orbs, only emphasized by the worryingly familiar dark bags beneath them. Her mouth felt dry and a lump formed in her throat, silencing her with the rush of indecipherable emotions rising within her from the look. Not knowing what else to do, she closed her eyes and waited.

Only to feel nothing except a new pressure and light tickling sensation at the top of her chest. Yang opened her eyes and blinked as she looked down to see Blake's head resting atop her bosom, her eyes closed and face slack, but the tips of her cat ears twitching against Yang's skin in time with the blonde's heartbeat beneath them.

"Blake?" Yang tried, more than a little confused by what had just occurred. Unfortunately, Blake could not answer her as she had passed out in her arms, leaving her to awkwardly stand there among the escaped prisoners holding her partner to her chest, oddly feeling like she'd just been robbed as the rest of their team and friends marched up to them while the legion corralled the mercenaries.

Well, most of them marched, before being immediately outpaced by a red missile that bolted straight to her. Her little sister literally skidded to a stop inches in front of Yang, the wake of her passage continuing on to blow all their hair back with a gust of her trademark petals. Her hands frantically waved around in a sort of pantomime as she tried and failed to find a way to crush Yang in a hug without disturbing the unconscious Faunus, before childishly stomping her foot in frustration.

"What is going on here?!" Ruby demanded.

---

The Jarl of the Reach, Igmund Hrolfdirson, looked down from his throne upon the mass of accused criminals with anger. Thongvor had been a thorn in his side for some time now, always pestering him about some matter or another, particularly over the civil war as of late, but the true center of attention was his recently-widowed younger brother, Thonar. Normally, if only out of courtesy due to the Silver-Blood's prestige, Igmund would have expressed his condolences for his loss. But he had no desire to do so now. Instead, all he could feel was righteous fury.

How could he not after one of the largest scandals in the Reach's entire history just exploded on his doorstep? A conspiracy stretching back decades, one that occurred right under his and his late father's noses with them none the wiser. It was utterly humiliating, and what was worse was that the only reason why he found out about it in the first place was because of a mass prison breakout orchestrated by a man long thought to be dead. With that breakout came evidence of mass abuses of power, subterfuge, and murder among other horrible acts against Skyrim and her people, all in the name of power and greed.

And in the Jarl's hands was the lion's share of evidence, Thonar's secret journal, dug up by the combined investigations of, interestingly enough, the Thalmor and Imperial Legion. Just a few pages of the book were incriminating enough, written proof of the man's treason and sedition against the Reach, Skyrim, and the Empire at large. More importantly to Igmund, though, was an old entry dated from about a week before his father's untimely death.

I can't have the Jarl bringing peace just now, it read. I'll have to find a way to keep us in conflict longer, otherwise, my investment in Madanach's survival will be pointless.

Nothing more was stated, but it was enough to boil the blood of the Jarl ten times over. For over twenty years, he believed wild, barbaric men to have been the cause of his father's death. A death that occurred during an attempt to finally bring peace between the Nords and the Reachmen, and one that soured Igmund's outlook on them ever since. Yet now he was given evidence that it may have been caused by the ambition of a single greedy man who then turned Igmund's resulting grief to his own ends.

Already, the most damning evidence had been presented and witnesses had spoken both against and on behalf of Thonar, though it was far more often the former. Anyone who had witnessed even a few minutes would have come to the conclusion that the Silver-Blood man was doomed. His guilt was beyond a reasonable doubt, and at this point, the past couple of hours of judgment had only occurred so that Jarl Igmund could rein in his personal anger and pass judgment with the decorum his station demanded.

"The time for judgment has come," Igmund finally announced when the last witness spoke her part, a pregnant Reachwoman who had worked as Thonar's secretary for about year, who'd borne witness to him confessing to having Madanach stowed away. He stood, as did everyone else within the court, then declared, "Thonar Silver-Blood, you stand accused of treason, sedition, conspiracy, murder, and numerous lesser crimes too many to count. You have used your wealth to weaken the Reach and Skyrim as a whole. You have stolen from your countrymen to enrich yourself. You have had your fellow citizens murdered in order to claim their property as your own. You have betrayed your Hold, your country, and your people. What say you in your defense?"

Tears had already begun pouring from the man's face. Never before had Thonar Silver-Blood looked so pitiful to all who bore witness to this moment. He barely kept himself from falling to his knees as he tried to work up the nerve to speak.

"My... My Jarl, I...never wanted for Skyrim to suffer. I... I only ever... I never meant for it to go...so far." Thonar could barely keep himself from blubbering. Thongvor, nearby in the court stands, also cried for his brother, but stood firm. The elder brother had felt minutely betrayed when he learned just how far Thonar's schemes went, but he could not find it in himself to hate him. Perhaps, if he had learned about it sooner, he would have put an end to it. But alas, it was far too late. Now he could only watch as his brother was left at the mercy of the Jarl, and everyone present knew there was none to give.

"Thonar Silver-Blood," Igmund said as he scowled harshly, "for your crimes, I, the Jarl of the Reach, hereby sentence you to die. You shall be led to the gallows and be hanged by the neck until you are dead. So I decree, by the laws of the Reach and Skyrim."

Thonar's crying quieted after that, his gaze falling down to the floor and staying there, even as he was dragged away and Thongvor was led forward for his own judgment. In comparison, the elder brother's punishment of property forfeiture, outlawry, and exile seemed far lighter. It at least gave the many other suspected conspirators and Silver-Blood family members hope for fair treatment. Somewhere between them all, an old man was brought forward with no crimes held against him, save for his part in breaking out of the prison mine. After reading everything and hearing the man's case, Igmund had the man released.

"You have no proven crimes, and a credible witness account claims you are innocent," Igmund read out to the Reachman named Braig. "You are cleared of all charges and are hereby free to leave."

While the man did not leave, he did walk over to the side to watch the proceedings with the rest of the court. It may have seemed disrespectful to some that he did not so much as nod his head at the Jarl, but Igmund let it go. He had enough to be angry about as it was with those who had truly disrespected him, and the old Reachman had every right to walk away while offering nothing. After everything he'd been through, Igmund could not blame him for a mere lack of decorum. Besides, he had more important cases to address, some of which he wasn't looking forward to going through.

More and more Silver-Bloods and prison escapees were brought before him. Those who were truly innocent of the crimes they were imprisoned for were pardoned and freed without too much fuss. Others who truly belonged in prison, however, were promptly sent back, albeit in much more humane conditions this time around and in a proper jail. But, when compared to the other party, the prison escapees were easier to handle. It was much easier to condemn a murderer and free an innocent man than it was to decide the fate of an entire house. A house that greatly benefited from the illicit activities of a prominent member, but likely had no idea what was truly going on. If even Thongvor didn't know just how far Thonar had gone, how was the rest of the family who was even more distant to know? Despite knowing this, the Silver-Bloods could not remain unpunished, especially not when all of Markarth was demanding their blood, and he had to exact judgment against them. Still, he was quite surprised when the same elder Reachman he had just freed walked forward to plead in defense of a young Silver-Blood woman who was barely more than a girl.

---

"Ugh, I hate this," Yang complained while laying down in what was admittedly one of the best beds she'd ever felt. At least since her arrival in Skyrim, and honestly her bed back at Beacon was softer, but after her ordeal of the past few days, it might as well have been a five-star luxury resort.

The reason for her discomfort, however, came from within. Thanks to the three Companions and Vilkas'quick thinking, they had gotten Yang some treatment for all of the silver in her system. There was a lot, relatively speaking, and had she just spent another week or so in those mines, she might have departed to Hircine's Hunting Grounds. As a recently crowned Champion of Dibella, the Temple offered to pay for whatever treatment she might need after her endeavor.

Since lead-poisoning was something parts of Tamriel understood, Vilkas explained that she needed potions that would 'remove heavy metals' from her system. Yang thought that they might get her something that would simply make all of the silver vanish out of her body, but while such a potion did exist, it was rare and terribly expensive. The Temple of Dibella might have had a good bit more funding than others, mostly thanks to artists, art-lovers, and brothels sending in tithes, but it didn't have unlimited money. Plus, it was much easier to get a half dozen of the cheaper sort, which 'merely' accomplished the same impossible medical feat of purging heavy metals from the body over the course of hours or days, rather than instantaneously.

Especially since Bothela, the proprietress of The Hag's Cure, had come to them wishing to personally provide Yang with whatever assistance or medicine she needed after hearing about her illness. Apparently, the older Reachwoman was quite experienced with the basic recipe and was willing to brew all the potions for the secret werewolf's treatment for free as thanks for saving her nephew from Cidhna and bringing down the Silver-Bloods, but Yang insisted on at least paying for the cost of the ingredients. Apart from that, they just needed to provide plenty of fluids, red meat, and bed rest to the patient.

"It'll be only another day or two," Fjotra told her, looking over the headdress Yang had been gifted by the King in Rags. "The feathers in this go well with your hair. Eagle, I believe."

"Thanks. Glad I looked great while kicking Thonar's a- butt." Yang smirked a bit, recalling the state she left the man in before being half-dragged away by her friends and family, with her dragging Blake along as well. She went to say something else, only to stop and groan while holding her stomach. She felt gassy and nauseous at the same time, while also sweating profusely. and for the tenth time that day she had to lean over and gag over a metal bucket placed against the stone floor. Thankfully she hadn't barfed yet, but a few times she had come close.

"Ugh, I am never going into a silver mine again..." Yang declared as she laid back and rested her head against the pillow, and the little oracle daintily reached over to dab her brow with a cloth.

"I'd hope so," a masculine voice said. Still laying back, Yang looked over and spotted a couple of Altmer in Thalmor robes walking in, one of them looking a little familiar. "Otherwise, it might be bad for your health. In other news, you'll probably want to hear this, as well. Thonar has been sentenced to death. He'll be meeting the gallows in three days."

"Death?" Yang quietly asked, looking up at the ceiling. "I mean, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but...I'm not really happy about it."

"Strange," the other muttered while rubbing his chin. "After everything he put you and others through, I thought you'd receive the news as joyously as everyone else."

"I did tell you that these girls are a bit different from the norm," a far more familiar voice said. Capric then entered the room, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Lydia just behind him. The girls came to Yang's side, Blake looking a lot more well-rested now.

"How are you feeling?" Ruby asked in concern.

"Muscles are better, but my guts feel like they're wrestling with a squid," Yang told them, fighting back a belch that felt like something more solid came up with it. "Don't want to move too much. Makes everything jostle when it's not supposed to."

"Well, hopefully, we can have a word here," Capric spoke up before looking to Fjotra. "Lady Sybil, may we have a moment of privacy within your temple?" he asked her with respect and reverence that, though practiced, felt genuine.

The Sybil looked between the two groups then nodded. "Just let us know when you're finished discussing things. I'll give word to the Mother and sisters."

With that, the young girl exited the room. Capric then cast a silencing spell, which let everyone know that whatever he had to say was at least partially confidential.

"You've had quite the adventure these past few days," he said while turning back to them. "Cults destroyed. Legions on the move. An emptied prison mine. At least one dragon killed. All on top of the original mission, which I'm betting was a success."

"Oh yeah, Otar's dead. For good this time," Yang said nonchalantly while reaching for her bag at the foot of her bed. "Got the mask here."

"Wait a moment, Thorn," one of the Altmer butted in. "These are your dragon-slaying experts?"

"I wouldn't say they're mine, Ondolemar. We simply help each other out for our mutual benefit."

"Yes, they've helped us out many times," the other Altmer agreed. "I trust you've heard of the rising legend of the Shadowkiller?" he asked while gesturing towards Blake.

"Hm, the Kha- Oh, I remember you." Ondolemar's eyebrows rose. "Ulquarrion, did this one do what I think she did?"

"There were a couple others. Quite the team. I wish we could've secured her loyalties more than we did."

"I'm right here," Blake drawled with one hand placed on a cocked hip while sarcastically waving the other at the two.

"Don't be insulted if they start talking like you're not there," Capric told her. "It's an Alinorian thing. Anyways, we're mostly here because of your most recent accomplishment." Capric looked over to Yang and smiled brightly. "You've really uprooted Markarth's society, young lady. Thonar's a dead man walking, the Silver-Blood company is being torn apart, the pieces are being handed out to both the state and anyone they've stolen from who can still lay claim to it, and hundreds of associates are finding themselves on the short-side with investigations and audits picking them apart and either reducing or busting them. All of the Reach is in an uproar, and the Jarl has his hands full trying to quell the unrest, which is now coming up from the Nords as much as the native Bretons."

"Reachmen," Yang corrected him. "Also, you're making this sound like a good thing."

"It's a matter of perspective," Ondolemar explained. "To some parties, the current chaos looks good, but those more familiar with these lands know it won't last. You Men are good at getting through transitional periods like this."

"We're women," Ruby attempted to correct him.

"He means Men as in the race of humans distinct from Mer," Weiss explained to her.

"Wait, then why not say human?"

"Well, I'm not human." Blake reminded her.

"Back on the subject," Capric steered them back, "Yang's actions have given us good cover for the next while. The Lords and Ladies of the Dominion will suspect this all was an attempt to sow further dissent and confusion in Skyrim, allowing people like us to act with a bit more impunity." He focused on her and gave her a toothy smile. "Don't know what your plan for breaking out Madanach is, but I can't wait to see what you have in store."

"Uh, about that," Yang started, feeling a little awkward now that she was in the spotlight of whatever convoluted plan the three elves had in mind. "Releasing Madanach wasn't...my plan. It was completely incidental."

Now everyone looked to her, questions on every face.

"...Well, this is suitably awkward," Ulquarrion said while crossing his arms. "And after all of that trouble."

"Trouble?" Yang asked.

"Madanach was never recaptured," Blake told her. "He got away in the confusion, as did most of the Forsworn."

"Oddly, it seemed only the wrongly incarcerated and truly heinous were left," Weiss added, rubbing her chin "along with testimonies and evidence clearing the names of the former."

"Oh, like the statement I wrote up for Braig?"

"Exactly like that, but a good bit more." Weiss then looked over to the Thalmor in the room. "What exactly did you three do?"

Capric averted his eyes for a moment before sighing.

"Okay, so we may have misread your intentions," he admitted. "But to be perfectly fair, Ondolemar's reports made it sound like you were trying to dig out the truth of the Forsworn."

"We were, but we didn't think it went that deep," Yang explained. "We were trying to figure out the reasons behind killings that made no sense from where we were standing. I wasn't planning to release a presumed dead rebel leader."

"Ah, well, happens to the best of us," Capric said while shrugging.

"I've literally never heard of a rebel escaping you, Thorn," Ulquarrion pointed out.

"I caught them again before it could be reported on, usually..." He stopped and looked back at the women on the other side of the room before he cleared his throat. "Don't worry about it for now. Right now, we should probably set up plans on what to do about the Forsworn now that its leadership is on its way to being restored. All those disparate tribes that once barely shared a vision are going to start becoming cohesive again."

"As much as we'd like to help on that front," Weiss began, "we shouldn't be getting involved. We don't really have a horse in-"

"No," Yang quickly interjected, pushing herself up off her bed despite the protestations of her stomach. "No, we are involved. I'm involved, at least." She took in a deep breath and released it slowly. "I'm at least part of the reason Madanach's free, and I helped them to survive not just the trip out, but Thonar and his thugs." She looked over to the Thalmor. "Any idea where he went?"

"Not exactly," Capric admitted. "Though my eyes in the sky believe they are somewhere near Karthwasten. Also of note, we think we found something particularly interesting. It looks like we found a dragon nest full of baby dragons."

Ruby's eyebrows shot up at that. "That's literally impossible."

Capric blinked. "Are you sure about that? They brought back word of creatures that are definitely dragons, but about the size of housecats or small dogs. Vertina was almost set on fire by some."

"Well, it definitely sounds interesting, and kind of cute," Ruby admitted, imagining tiny dragons playing around like a litter of puppies, "but I know for a fact that dragons don't have babies and were never babies to begin with. They just kinda...showed up."

"She has a point," Ulquarrion reasoned. "Given everything we know about dragons, one of the few universal truths is that they have no real point of 'birth' as we know it, save that they come from Auriel. Who-is-Akatosh," he quickly added as an afterthought.

"Hm, I'll ask my sources to further look into the subject. Still, there are confirmed sightings of dragon-shaped, cat-sized creatures, and it should be investigated."

"I'll check it out when we have the time," Ruby offered. "Just give us the location later. Back to Madanach, though... What do we do about him?"

Everyone looked to Yang, who sighed as she sat down.

"I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I don't know if we can," she admitted. "He's not evil, but he's willing to do a lot of horrible things if he thinks it'll lead to the best outcome."

"Yang, you're not responsible for him escaping," Ruby told her sister. "You told us yourself that he already had his escape route dug out."

The blonde shook her head. "I never said I was responsible, but...I'm a part of this now." She looked at the pile of enchanted armor she'd received from the Forsworn. "I've got to see it through."

---

Being left alone to recover was not fun.

Yang understood on an intellectual level that her team or fellow Companions couldn't stay by her side constantly. Weiss was trying to invest and make purchases. Ruby (although she initially had to be physically dragged from her overprotective vigil at her convalescing sister's bedside by the others) was now helping to keep the peace, mostly by standing in-between the mobs that occasionally cropped up and their targets of ire, usually Silver-Blood family members and associates. The other three werewolves were getting word back to Jorrvaskr and helping Ruby out when they could. Blake was assisting with the investigations, using her skills to dig up the right info on dirty businessmen, impressing even the Legion's agents. All of them had very important tasks that needed to be handled as soon as possible, and in her current state, Yang wouldn't be much help. There wasn't anything she could do other than lay back and rest.

That didn't make the boredom any easier to bear, though. If anything, it made it worse. Yang had never handled being sick well growing up, hating feeling gross and weak, of being brought low by something she couldn't consciously fight against. To be honest, she was fine with nursing others (mostly a younger Ruby) when they were ill, but she was a terrible patient herself, always going stir crazy and insisting on getting up and doing something instead of being stuck in bed recuperating like she should.

Yang sighed deeply while turning in her bed. At least her stomach was more or less settled by now. The medicine had done its job, and now all that was really left was recovering from the potions themselves. Bothela said that she should be ready to travel by the end of the week, suggesting that she eat a fair portion of red meat as often as possible.

The blonde decided she would eat a few deer once they were out of the city.

The sound of footsteps hit her ears over the soft crackle of the brazier, coming closer to her room. Yang was half-expecting one of the priestesses, or maybe even Fjotra, who liked to come in and talk about her studies or minor visions. She had a sort of knowing smirk the last time, which Yang tried to get to the bottom of, only for the young oracle to skip away, the Champion unable to chase after her.

Three knocks rang out against her door, cutting off her thoughts and prompting her to focus fully on the visitor.

"I'm decent," Yang called out. It opened, and in came Blake wearing casual clothing rather than any of her armor sets. "Oh, hey B. Any big catches today?"

"Some people skimming off the top of the Silver-Blood's profits," she said as she shut the door and walked over. "They'll probably pay a fine and move on."

"Yeah, doubt anybody's going to care about the people robbing them." Yang frowned, recalling the list of people who were being shackled with the weight of Thonar's sins. "Especially not the ones getting outlawry." She sighed and rubbed her face. "I can't believe you can be punished by just...having the law no longer protect you."

"It's an old practice back on Remnant. Of course, banishment back home was practically a death sentence if you couldn't reach another settlement in time."

"Yeah." Yang sat up and then reached over to grab Blake's arm and gently pull her closer. "Come on. Take a seat."

"I don't-" Blake tried to protest, but was tugged forward and landed on her belly with a huff, Yang giggling a little at the accident.

"Sorry. Couple days where I wasn't as strong as normal," Yang admitted. "Still working on getting my self-control back up to snuff."

Blake shook her head and turned around to sit up. Yang put an arm around her and pulled her close for a moment, releasing her after rubbing their cheeks together a second. A companionable silence stretched between them for a moment, but then Blake's eyes became downcast, trailing down to the floor and looking at nothing in particular as she slumped where she sat. Yang looked over at her partner and put a hand to her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Yang asked, worried and concerned about her partner.

Blake sighed this time. "Yang, I-" She paused and gulped. "I'm sorry."

A blonde eyebrow sprung up. "Sorry? Blake you-"

"I left you," she croaked out. "I was...there when they took you. I could have stopped them but...I turned and I ran. I abandoned you to-"

"Blake, stop," Yang demanded. The Faunus' face came up as her breath hitched, responding to the authority laced into her command. She looked over to see Yang making a stern face, her lips pursed in thought.

"You did not abandon me," Yang declared with a tone of finality. "I am the one who went in as a distraction."

"But I-"

"And I am the one who underestimated Markarth's defenses and got hit with a surprise Calm spell."

"I was there, though," Blake tried to counter.

"And you couldn't have gotten me out of there if you tried. Not without killing a whole lot of people, most of whom thought I was an actual bad guy." Blake made to speak up again, but quieted as Yang shook her head. "Blake, I know what it feels like to be abandoned. To be left alone by someone who should be there for you. That's not what you did. You knew you couldn't get me out one way, so you played it smart and went another way." Yang wrapped an arm around Blake and pulled her in for a short hug before releasing her. "Heck, if I hadn't gotten out when I did, you would have been the one to free me."

"I...don't know if I could have," Blake admitted. "I was about to fall off of my feet."

"Sure you could have. One of your ebony weapons, or hell, the ebony weapon could have cut those dumb limiter cuffs off of me, then I could have smashed us a way back out, making sure to keep away from mages with green magic going on." Yang then hummed to herself. "Speaking of you being tired, well, I think we need to have another talk about taking care of yourself, but first..."

The blonde paused as she tried to figure out where to begin. Blake's look before passing out during the breakout had floated in and out of her mind for the past couple of days. Part of her tried to rationalize it as her seeing things, but it was way too clear. It lasted for only a moment, but seemed to hold more emotion than Yang was ready to reckon with. In that moment, Yang had just been...ready for it, a realization that had her wrestling with naming the feeling that she probably feared more than any monster or demon that existed out in the infinite world. She didn't know what to do about it, and at this moment, she was willing to do anything to make this easier.

'Dibella, if you're listening, help a poor girl out!' she silently prayed within her head, hoping that her being the deity's supposed Champion and in one of her own temples counted for something. Perhaps knowing that there actually was someone listening up there helped to ease her worries.

"When you found me, after breaking out and stuff, what were you...thinking?" Yang got out, feeling like she had just won a hard-fought battle. "Before you passed out and... You had this..."

Yang looked to her partner's face to see that it had turned beet red, the cat girl shrinking in on herself as embarrassment radiated from her form, hiding her eyes behind her bangs.

"I was...very out of it," Blake defended herself. "I don't know what I was thinking."

Yang could believe that, but every sign was pointing towards something more. She took a deep breath in through her nose, closing her eyes as she did.

'Okay, Dib, I feel like this is what you're directing me towards. I hope you're right.'

Yang reached over and put her hand atop Blake's. The Faunus flinched a little at the contact, but her hand didn't pull away, and the tension slowly faded, allowing Yang to intertwine her fingers with those of her partner.

"Were you thinking of...kissing me?"

Takebacks, excuses about joking, and all manner of apologies caught in Yang's throat before she could voice them, like her voice was refusing to obey her. Blake seemed to become redder for a moment, but she looked back up, her eyes visible again to the brawler, who stared back into them.

"Maybe," Blake finally squeaked out. Yang wasn't sure if it was the medicine or her emotions, but something was churning her insides around. For a moment, she was afraid this conversation would be stopped short by her sickness, but she somehow managed to keep a grip through everything.

"It... It was silly. I was sleep-deprived and was just happy to see you okayandI startedthinkingaboutitlike it was oneofmybooksbutthat'snothowreal-"

"Blake," Yang cut in to her mad rambling. The brunette looked at the blonde, who smiled and then held up their interlaced hands before cupping her other around it. "It's okay."

"I..." Blake cleared her throat and winced a little. "I didn't even say anything or ask you if you'd be okay with it. It would have been...awkward."

"What was awkward was me being left hanging there expecting a kiss." Finally, Yang felt her words coming back to her far easier than before. She still felt she might choke up at any moment, but for now, her confidence had returned. Blake, however, started to redden again.

"I... I didn't mean..."

"I love you, Blake," Yang said suddenly and with certainty. "And I'm not just saying that. I've given it a lot of thought, and I know I do. I hardly ever care about finding the perfect label for a relationship or qualifying exactly how much I love the people I care about...but you're special to me. I don't know if...we go further than this or where it leads if we do, but I know...I'm happy with you." She looked Blake in the eyes, her cheeks blushing furiously. "You're one of the best friends I've ever had, and maybe more than that."

"I..." Blake croaked out, swallowing a moment later. "I love you, too." Yang felt her heart alight at that, warmth spreading out from her core and washing over her in a moment of bliss. "I just...don't know about...everything. Do we...? What's too fast? What's not enough?"

"I don't know. To be perfectly honest, I'm not all that experienced with this either," Yang admitted, scooting a bit closer and then holding Blake against her side. The Faunus didn't resist and instead cuddled further into her partner, pulling up her legs and folding her arms in.

"Do we...kiss now?"

"Are you comfortable with it?" Yang asked her while rubbing her shoulder, beginning to run her fingers through her dark tresses.

"...I don't know," she admitted after a moment, feeling disappointed in herself. "I was running on instinct, and it seemed like such a natural thing to do in the heat of the moment, but right now?" The Shadowkiller lifted her head to gaze at the soft bow of her friend's lips, then at the anticipatory gleam in her amethyst eyes, before chickening out and burying her now burning face in her hands "I- I'm too n-nervous. I'm sorry," she stammered miserably.

"Then we'll wait," Yang reassured her, patting one of her knees with her other hand and nuzzling her cheek to the top of Blake's head. "As soon as you're ready for anything, I'll welcome whatever you've got for me." She met the Faunus' questioning look with a dashing smile and a wink, so much like the one she gave her what felt like a lifetime ago, when she'd once promised to save her a dance. Blake Belladonna looked back on that moment, and all the moments from then to now, and wondered how she could have been so oblivious.

Her eyes seemed to zero in on the quirked corner of Yang's mouth with a determined focus, and before the blonde could tilt her head curiously, Blake firmed her expression with the resolve of someone who'd just been issued a challenge, and leaned forward to peck the dimple on her cheek. The Faunus then pulled back and nodded, shifting herself a little to kick off her boots and wriggle her way further into Yang's embrace, studiously ignoring how the stunned werewolf could probably feel her blazing blush just from the tips of her cat ears poking beneath the blonde's chin.

"This is nice," she said with relief evident in her voice after a moment. Yang could only hum in agreement, not even trying to fight the goofy grin on her face as she snuggled down to hold her partner close to her.

---

In the end, after several days of trials and dozens of judgments and verdicts passed, the Silver-Blood Company was no more. Their lands were divided up as best they could. If able, the land was returned to the rightful original landowners, but many were either dead or had long since moved on. Others, like Cidhna Mine, were directly placed under the authority of the Imperial Legion or the Jarl.

The rest was to be auctioned off, a process which would last for months and would have to be closely monitored and regulated to ensure no single entity tried to repeat what the Silver-Bloods did. Only a handful of Silver-Bloods had anything left to their name, and most were selling what they could and leaving the Hold as soon as possible. Thongvor was allowed only a cartful of his family's possessions to take with him and the horses to pull it with two weeks to leave the Hold. More than enough time to see his brother's death.

Yang was nearly recovered by the time Thonar was slated for the noose. Despite not really wanting to see him die, she was in the crowd that gathered at the open space that was the silverworks, just outside the opening to the mine that the Silver-Bloods once owned, now held under government control until they knew what to do with it. Along with it being the largest open space within the city, most agreed there was something poetic about the man dying in front of his wicked life's work.

Thonar himself looked dead-eyed as he was walked up the stairs and led to the noose. The man made no motion to resist as it was tightened around his neck and a stone was tied to his feet. Brother Verulus spoke his last rites, asking for the Divines (careful to keep from mentioning a number) to guard his soul as he passed from Nirn. Some jeers rose up, and Yang was certain that if the platform were any lower, some people would have thrown rotten vegetables at the man. It seemed that, aside from a handful of close relatives who would soon find themselves banished, no one would be mourning him.

A hood was placed over his head and Yang forced herself to watch as the drumroll rang out, its ending signaling the headsman to pull the lever. Thonar fell as the trapdoor dropped open, stopping suddenly after several feet, his body and the stones' weight pulling against his neck. Yang heard the snap and winced, finally letting herself look away. She left ahead of the crowd, feeling no better despite seeing the man responsible for so much death finally pay for his crimes.

She already knew, but this just confirmed it for her. Retribution was never what she was after.

---

With everything else done, Team RWBY and their companions had to wonder what exactly they were summoned to the Understone Keep for now. They were nearly prepared to head out again, this time hopefully with nothing major to take them off their path when the messenger came and told them that Jarl Igmund wished to speak with Yang and Blake specifically, though he wished for 'all of the Dragonslayers' to be present. It obviously had something to do with recent events, but they weren't sure how.

"Approach," a guard bade them after confirming their identities. The seven women and three men stepped into the court, the Companions standing to the left side of Yang, Team RWBY at her right with Lydia at her Thane's side, Artur several feet behind everyone with a scarf wrapped around his lower face, and Serana between him and the rest. All bowed to the man on the throne, who looked like he could use a good nap.

"Rise," he said before standing before them. "Yang Xiao Long. You were wronged in my city, and for what you had to go through, I know we can never truly make it up to you. More than that, you were wronged while performing great services to the Hold and Skyrim. Many citizens have spoken well of you within and without Markarth, and you did us all a great service by uprooting the corruption Thonar Silver-Blood and his ilk let fester."

"Just doing the right thing, my Jarl," Yang told him honestly.

"Yes, you did. But good deeds must be rewarded. To that end, I award you and Blake the Shadowkiller the title of Thane." He looked over to Blake, whose ears had stood up in surprise. "While your contributions were quieter in nature, word from the disbanded mercenary corps that worked in the mines is that something snuck through the prison and was only witnessed by a single guard, though several imprisoned women admitted to someone looking for a golden-blonde woman."

"Okay, I suppose I got a little sloppy near the end there," Blake admitted. "Still, I didn't do nearly as much good as Yang."

"Publicly, perhaps not. But I still received the testimony of your rescue of Eltrys and Rhiada, along with your part in the investigations, and the Legate informed me of your purging of the Namira cult from my city during our conversations. Regardless, I am not finished yet." He looked back to Yang. "Along with your title, Thane Yang, I also confer to you the holding of Reachcliff Run and give you the rights to purchase a high-rise home in Markarth itself, so that you may have a place to rest upon your visits to the city," he explained.

"Uh, oh, thank you, sir," Yang answered, more than a little confused by what had just happened. Weiss stepped up to the rescue, thankfully.

"If we may, sir, could we view Reachcliff Run on a map, so that we will have a better idea of what you have gifted her?"

"Of course. The map has already been drawn up." Igmund gestured for a servant to step forward with a roll of parchment, which was then unfurled to show them a full map of the Reach with a section encircled in red. Everyone was surprised at first by the size of it, going from the river next to Reachcliff and extending all the way down to a place known as Lost Valley Redoubt, bordered on the north by the Karth River and the south by the Jerall Mountains. Looking at it, Weiss quickly figured out that the land was functionally empty, mostly dotted with abandoned mines (noted down with tiny drawings of caves with x's below them). The only thing that seemed to be occupied was the Orc stronghold circled in green as a sort of warning.

"Don't be mistaken, however," Jarl Igmund added. "This land is a responsibility as much as it is a gift, if not moreso, but I am certain that you can rule it well for the Reach and Skyrim."

Yang looked up from the map and pulled her hair over her shoulder to run her hands over it, an uncertain expression appearing on her face.

"I've never really considered myself to be leader or ruler material, Jarl Igmund. Just because I'm good at beating up monsters and bad guys doesn't mean I'll be good at running any holdings. I don't know what to say."

"Say you'll accept. I have few trustworthy people at my side, and far too much to manage. At least like this I can properly reward you and do something with this chunk of land."

"I..." The blonde took in the encouraging looks the rest of her team were giving her, and straightened up, "I accept, then." Yang looked at the map again and then around in expectation. "Is there a thing I have to sign or...?"

---

"Okay, so now we're landed nobility," Yang muttered as they exited the keep.

"You are, at least," Weiss pointed out to her. "Though I suppose Ruby is technically your heir, being your only living relative until you have children or assign someone as your inheritor. Skyrim law is a little looser than other places on how landed titles pass down. Nevertheless, I've been looking at this and I'm certain most of this belonged to a handful of people in cahoots with Thonar. People who no longer have the privileges they once enjoyed."

"Serves them right," Farkas spoke up, the big man looking over Weiss' shoulder at the map. "Though this does kinda make things odd. Don't think we've ever had someone with this much land in the Companions."

"Not recently," his twin pointed out. "There's no rules against it, however, most who join the Companions rarely have more than what they carried in with them. A few have ended up owning a farm or homestead at times, but having a holding to your name is certainly something we haven't had in a while."

"You've already had a large piece of your time taken up by the vampire problems and helping the Dawnguard," Aela said to the blonde. "Think you can juggle this as well?"

"Well, it's mostly empty right now, like Weiss pointed out," Yang said while hovering her finger over the encircled space. "Aside from the Orcs here, who should be pretty independent, and whoever might be squatting in these ruins, there's not much I have to do."

"Until people start moving in." Everyone looked back at Artur after he said that. "Think about it. Whether you want it or not, people are crediting you with bringing down the Silver-Bloods. Reachmen and Nords alike will be celebrating your name for that. Then there's Madanach. I can still barely believe he's alive after all this time, but whether they blame you or credit you for him breaking free, that will also attract attention. Once everyone knows that this is the land of the same Yang Xiao Long as the one they're telling stories about, they're going to want to live there, be it for the legends or the security."

Yang looked back at the map like it was a venomous snake, suddenly a lot more uncomfortable with the weight it was now putting upon her shoulders.

"If it's any consolation," Vilkas spoke up, "people shouldn't be moving any time soon. Not until just before planting season."

"Yeah..." Yang muttered. Weiss looked over and sighed before patting her on the shoulder.

"I can help you with getting things running," the vampire reassured the werewolf. "Most of my childhood was spent being taught economics. It might not be one to one, but you won't be going into this without any assistance.

"Thanks, Weiss," Yang said. "Kinda wish I was a little more forewarned about this sort of thing, though."

"Don't worry, Yang," Ruby put in. "It's just like one of those CivSimmy games, but slower and with no reloads."

"Very reassuring, Rubes."

---

10th of Morning Star