Cearbhail:

And here we are again. Hope you enjoy all the noble stuff.

[Nakuma]

I took a deep breath as I smoothed my new dress. I reached up to check my feathers. Good, they were still attached to my head, and they were still bright pink with yellow tips. Good. I reached down to my dress and found that I had formed wrinkles from where my hands were clamping down. I forced myself to unclench my hands. Come on, Nakuma… you can do this. You're just coming from a humble background family living in Seafalls, a small fishing village outside of Archon, which was fortunate for me. While I didn't get to leave the academy often, it was nice to go home and see my parents, who lived in Seafalls, but also worked in Archon.

You see, the Shadow Magic Academy and Shadow Magic Institute both are located in Archon, both watched over our esteemed Shadow Master Jinehm Vershani. Both colleges are located in the same building, but are slightly different. I studied in the Institute, where Shadowwraiths are trained in the arts of manipulating Advanced Shadow, which is what we're calling our brand of magick. While every Argonian has a touch of Shadow, as mentioned before, Mages have an advanced touch of Shadow. Ours depletes like standard magick like the other races. And we can do so much more with it. We can basically recreate whole magick disciplines with our Shadow, mimicking every aspect, well… excluding color of course. The Academy is for the Magical Affairs as well as Research and Development departments. Our Atronachs, Rituals, and sometimes strong Apprentices will spend their time in this side of the academy. Sometimes, there are even Apprentices that end up in the Institute. It's kind of weird, I hear. They're scary if they're that powerful. Luckily, I haven't seen an Apprentice in the Institute. The last one ended up a Husk. He got really scary. He died in the Border Wars. Took out a whole town on his own. Killed some blood-ragers. And that's impossible.

I sighed as I felt a wave of calm wash over me. Making myself forget what I was doing by thinking about Shadow was always something I had to do if I needed to calm down. I was freaking out over meeting nobles and the higher council of Shadow Masters. But if I walk into that room with all those nobles and stumble over my words, or slip by stepping on the edges of my dress, then I won't be able to live in this country anymore. And I can't focus on doing anything right if I'm too worried about doing stuff right. Does that make sense? Gods, I'm getting flustered again. I can't do this. I really can't do this.

"Knock, knock!" The perky voice of the Lady-in-training Yuvana sang as opened the door to my bedroom. She was no longer dressed in her usual black and white maid dress, which surprised me. She was dressed in a fancy dark brown dress, one that complimented her blood red scales and light brown neck scales. She was dressed for a formal event. Her dress looked like it was made of pure leather. Leather like that was hard to get down here, and impractical to wear in the swamp. Her long and wavy yellow feathers with purple tips were looking even brighter than before. It was clear that she had spent the last hour getting herself ready for the party. And I didn't know she'd be attending.

"Mind if we enter?" Yuvana asked as she wasted no time entering my room, the more serious Lady-in-training Sherona entering behind her. And again, much to my surprise, Sherona was dressed in a similar dress, only this one had some hardened Hist Sap jewelry adorned to an expensive-looking necklace. The two of them had matching dresses, and I guess that made sense; they both looked similar. Yuvana was red-scaled with brown neck scales, and Sherona was orange with brown neck scales. Those brown dresses looked amazing on them, even if Sherona looked more regal in hers. It was more form-fitting, and looked newer than Yuvana's.

I nodded as I watched the two enter my room. "Is it time to get going then?"

Sherona nodded. "Yes. We are going to be your escort. Your friend Oleeme is waiting for us." Sherona gave me a quick glance, taking in my dress. "You look nice. And you were right, white and black with blue lace accents look great on your scales. Really pops the eyes." She nodded her head towards the main room. "Come on, future Shadowblade. The nobles await."

"Yeah… nobles." I sighed. "Tell me one thing, though. Will I survive the encounter?"

Sherona smirked. "Afraid of nobles then?"

I shrugged. "I'm just a fish girl."

"Mage apprentice."

I waved it off. "I'm from a small fishing village. It's nothing fancy. I grew up, until I was ten, diving into the ocean and river… collecting fish for Archon to eat. My father's a Mage, and works in Archon, but the village we were in… it's a simple village. I knew I would train to be a mage, but… all this." I waved my hand around the room. "All of… you…" I waved my hand across Sherona's dress. "This is… a league I don't belong in. I'm sure the nobles will take one look at me, see fish guts, and take bets on how quickly I'll embarrass myself."

"More likely how quickly you'll die in the Shadow Squad." Yuvana said with a quick laugh. When Sherona glared at her, Yuvana was quick to bow to me. "I'm sorry… that was uncalled for. I'm sure you'll do fine in the Shadow Squad. I'd take a bet on you surviving."

Sherona sighed, walking up to me. "Listen to me. You'll be fine. Just… I don't want to say 'be yourself' because it's harder than that. You have to be that version of yourself that you think everyone else thinks exists. You're a Mage, one of the most mysterious things we have. Just hype of your mystique and the nobles will eat it up. Besides, you're not there for them. You're there for one particular noble. And she can't wait to meet you."

One particular noble? "Who?"

Sherona smirked. "Princess Nexauvia Frazviani of Lilmoth's Royal Family. She will be in charge of your Shadow Squad. And… honestly… can I be honest about how nobles act?"

I nodded.

Sherona glanced at me. "They're all fake. Some of them suck, but others… they're pretty cool. I buffer a lot of nobles. A lot. I hear things, and trust me, not all nobles are horrible."

"Any nobles that talk about treating fishing peasants as trash?"

Sherona shrugged. "Well, I can think of one that wouldn't."

I sighed. "Well, I guess having one noble not treat me like trash today would be nice."

Sherona nodded. "Trust me, you'll be fine. But, we've sat here long enough. Any longer and we'll no longer be fashionably late, but Blades' Response to the Assassination of the Septim Line late."

…

[Princess Nexauvia Frazviani of Lilmoth's Royal Family]

Gods, this fucking day. I don't care if everyone thinks I'm too young. I'm drinking. I took a deep gulp of some blood wine, letting my head buzz as I slumped over in my chair. As I did so, I felt a heavy slam across the back of my head. Everything immediately began to hurt.

"Fucking oww!" I hissed to Uncle Julanza, who sat next to me.

Uncle Julanza glared down at me with his hyper-focused disappointed eyes. "After this morning, you should have learned your lesson on drinking too early in the day. We're here to present ourselves to the nobles, and to introduce ourselves to the newcomers to the Shadow Squad. While we're still waiting on the Shadowscales, the Shadowwraiths will be here within the next few minutes. Play nice, and you won't die today."

I scoffed at the thought. "Yeah. Father really just dug me from my grave for one small moment of royal feasting and posturing. Sounds like him."

"Your father wanted you to rot." Uncle Julanza said with certainty. "You should be thanking your Grandmother. She insisted you take the Shadow Squad. With heavy opposition from the Council. Mother was a force to be reckoned with, but seeing her throw things around the council chamber was amusing to say the least. Riviella and I haven't agreed on much the past few years, but… we supported her assertions. Your mind and heart were in the right place. I'm just glad you were able to relay what we knew to the Council earlier. You did good, Nexauvia." Uncle Julanza roughed the top of my head, ruining the perfectly placed feathers I worked hard on.

I knocked his hand away. "Uncle… don't touch my plumes."

Uncle hissed a concealed laugh. "Plumes? Is that what the kids call it these days?"

"Plumage, Uncle. Plumes is just easier."

"Uh-oh." Uncle started to sit up. "Watch your tongue, niece. Look who approaches."

I looked where Uncle gestured. Standing there in the scale was Meesei, my cousin. Uncle Julanza's daughter. Well, estranged daughter. When Aunt Riviella and Uncle Julanza divorced, Meesei left with her mother. I never understood the reason for their divorce. It didn't seem like the two hated each other, but there was some kind of silent contempt between the two. Uncle did a good job of never making me hate Aunt Riviella, and Aunt did a good job to make certain I didn't hate Uncle Julanza. It's so odd. But Meesei, she had other thoughts. She hated Uncle Julanza. She also didn't care for me much either, even if we had a fun childhood of invading Oblivion Gates.

I cleared my throat as I sat up in my chair. As Meesei approached us, I nodded my head to her in respect. "Meesei, congratulations on graduating the Shadowscale Course." I couldn't stop myself from smiling, almost laughing at saying it like that.

Meesei's scales were purple, but her face was definitely turning red. "Don't compare me to that trash." Meesei hissed through grit teeth.

Uncle Julanza glanced to Meesei, his eyes full of understanding. "It is unfortunate your assigned class has been halted from graduating, due to the sudden… betrayal of the Scale-in-training Deejena." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Your report of what happened seemed… incomplete. I read it in full detail, but I didn't understand what exactly happened."

"Dear Julanza…" Aunt Riviella walked up to us, placing her hand on Meesei's shoulder as she walked up. "The failed student, Deejena, failed to assassinate her target, and as such, became a traitor to our order. My daughter did as she was instructed to do. She tried to assassinate the simple girl in turn. The target managed to escape though. The arrival of Shadowmaster Gazhira threw us for a loop."

I snuck a glance to Uncle Julanza, who all but blinked in response. "Really? Shadowmaster Gazhira Killishe… in Camp Killishe, outside of Helstrom, home of Clan Killishe? I never would have guessed you would have run into the retired Shadowmaster Killishe at Camp Killishe, his retirement section of woods, at his retreat for Casteless, right outside of Killishe-owned Helstrom." Uncle rocked back. "What an odd encounter. Almost as weird as finding Daedra inside Oblivion Gates."

Aunt Riviella clenched her jaw. "Keep this up, dear Julanza, and you'll find the odds of finding Bronz Thorns in your afternoon tea just as likely as finding Gazhira Killishe at Killishe Camp right outside of Clan Killishe's assigned town of Helstrom."

"Ah, the bronz thorns threat again." Uncle Julanza held a laugh. "If you really intended on killing me, you would have done so already."

Aunt Riviella smirked. "I wasn't referring to myself, dear Julanza." Aunt Riviella turned her gaze from Uncle Julanza over to me. "Shadowblade Nexauvia." Aunt Riviella bowed to me. "It is an honor to see you back where you belong."

I forced a smirk. I reached for my glass of blood wine. I took a long sip before nodding. "Hello, Shadowmaster Riviella. It sure is nice to be back in this overly fluffed chair pillow."

Aunt Riviella laughed at my stupid joke and then gestured to Meesei. "I'm sure you and Meesei can't wait to work together for the Shadow Squad."

Meesei glared at me. "Yup… such an honor." I could feel the hatred through her stance.

Might as well play along. "Me too, dear cousin. I'm so glad that even half-starved, chained to wall, days from death… the Council would still rather have me leading the Shadow Squad over… whoever else they were risking the squad's success on."

I could see Meesei's eye twitch. If Grandmother hadn't destroyed half of Lilmoth in one of her famous temper tantrums, I would be dead, and Meesei would be in charge of Shadow Squad, not me. As far as Shadowblades go, she's probably as good as me. We're the two best trained in the whole Legion. Can't help it when you have the two best Shadow Masters training you.

"Honored Guests of House Frazviani, we would like to draw your attention to the Grand Entrance Staircase of Broken Futures." The Head Mistress of LALALA bellowed out as she directed her hand to the top of the staircase where four well-dressed Argonians waited at the top. Two of them I recognized: Sherona Killishe and her girlfriend Yuvana… whatever her last name was. The other two… I didn't know. Must be the new Shadowwraiths assigned to my squad.

"We really need to rename that staircase." Uncle Julanza whispered to me. Aunt Riviella chuckled in response.

…

[Nakuma]

"Now arriving, Nakuma Vaqonala and Oleeme Puparammanx, graduating class of Shadow Magick Institute of Archon." Veronisha, the one lead buffer that led Yuvana and Sherona, stood by the staircase, announced me and Oleeme to the party. It was odd though. She wasn't dressed in some formal gown like Sherona or Yuvana. She was still in the same maid dress she wore to my buffering. As I looked around, I could see other Lords and Ladies all dressed in their uniforms.

Sherona waved to the crowd as she started walking down with Yuvana, holding her hand. Sherona looked back at me, winking as she walked down the stairs. "Good luck." Sherona cracked a smile. "And don't worry. The Princess isn't… she won't bite. It's Meesei you need to worry about." With that, Sherona and Yuvana descended the stairs.

"Now announcing, Lady Sherona Killishe of Helstrom and her date, Lady Yuvana Garhriorn of Thorn." Killishe? My face started to flush. Sherona was a noble this whole time? I was buffered by a noble? I back-talked a noble? I felt like I was going to faint.

I froze up as I stood at the top of the staircase. So many well-dressed nobles with varying colors of scales, feathers, and all sporting the same dark leathery outfits, all turned to look up at Oleeme and me. I didn't know what to do, or how to act.

Yuvana reached up, taking my hand in hers. She winked as she started to pull me. "Just breathe. It gets easier."

I forced an exhale as I took the first step. I felt the glares of the nobles in the room watch me descend the stairs. I even saw a few shared whispers among some of the older ones. What kind of things were they saying about me? Was it that I was a fish girl from a small town? Did they even know? What have they been told by me? I imagine every noble family would have their own private Shadowscales or Investigators that they would use to gather information on their competition. And while I was on the path to having a minor noble title of Lady, if I manage to be knighted to Shadowblade, retaining a small title of some kind of nobility, I wouldn't be granted a land to govern unless I really proved myself. Unless I manage to impress the Queen of Shadows to a point where she believed that I was needed for the country's success. But even then, the smallest rumor about me could ruin my credibility. I wonder if these nobles were sharing some random rumor or fact about me that I wasn't aware of.

Wait… what am I doing? I'm not even a noble… and I'm already beginning to plot my rise and fall in the political world of Argonia's noble structure. Sheesh, Nakuma… you're getting ahead of yourself. I'm not any anything yet. I just have to focus on the present. I am Nakuma Vaqonala. A girl from Seafalls. And a Shadowwraith. I'm not a knight or anything. I'm not even a Lady.

"Presenting Lady Nakuma Vaqonala of Seafalls, township of Archon. Daughter to Lady Voriska and Sir Sthux Vaqonala of Seafalls. Shadowwraith Wraith Nakuma Vaqonala graduated top of her class at Archon's Shadow Magick Institute. Her abilities in Shadow are paled in comparison to her abilities to dive into research endeavors. Her instructors found Nakuma's research papers on ancient magick and civilizations oddly refreshing and invigorating to read. Her research papers rivaled those found in the advanced studies of graduate scholars."

Well, that's not fair. I studied those papers. Of course I learned new things from what I read and researched from other studies. Connecting dots are easy if you know what you're looking for.

I sighed as I walked down the stairs with Yuvana and Sherona. I glanced up at Oleeme, who waited for his signal to walk down. He looked so polished and prepared for his walk. Not a hint of hesitation in his mind. Nothing in his mind, really. Such a blank expression. The old Oleeme would be laughing by now, planning some kind of prank on me, or someone else. How would the old Oleeme feel about being a noble lunch event? Meeting the Princess of Shadows? I'll never know now. I could always ask him, but would the Oleeme that exists now understand how he would have interacted, or would have liked to interact? Husks were still a mystery in our society. Their mindset, how they think, how they feel. It's all so taboo to mention the mental defects in our society. The Husks, Pure Wraiths, Soulless.

Oleeme got the nod to begin and took his first step down the stairs. "Presenting Sir Oleeme Parpurra… Pomparra… Puparammanx!" The male Lord shook his head in embarrassment. "Last in his line. Born to the Late Shadowscale Shade Vansha Puparammanx and Apprentice Herbal Remedies shop owner Bulmtha Puparammanx, Sir Oleeme was born an Atronach, adopted into the Shadowwraith training course after an accidental death of one appointed slot when one of the Mages, the now late Bronzlin Unaloga, died of embarrassment. Oleeme was perhaps in worst in his studies at the academy and was unfortunately bullied for being an Atronach in a Mage-focused study group, while have to deal with herbal supplements to increase his capacity for generating Mage-level advanced Shadow. Very painful supplements, bullying, and deceased parents resulted in Oleeme passing the Soul Chamber while shattering his emotional soul, resulting in… him becoming a Husk." I could see the hushed glances as nobles all started taking drinks to cover their whispers and disgusted faces. "Oleeme is now the symbol of perfection among the Shadowwraiths proving that Atronachs truly belong in our Mage studies." The Lord finished his presentation, nodding to Oleeme.

I waited by the end of the stairs for Oleeme to join me. He eloquently made his way down, timing each step while staring ahead. He eventually joined us, Sherona and Yuvana standing next to me the entire time. She didn't seem to be here as a Lady today, but as one of the nobles.

"Hey, Oleeme. You okay?" I never really bothered to notice how Oleeme was doing back when we were students. He always bullied me for being the best out of all of us, and I never considered how he was being bullied for being an Atronach in our studies. I was too busy trying to survive our peer group. I guess he was doing the same.

Oleeme turned to look at me. "Why would I not be?" His empty voice along made me shudder. Here he was… being told everything bad about him, having an entire room judge him for not only being a Husk, but his background story… and he was expressionless. Husks are a whole new level of uncomfortable for me to deal with. I had to know more about them. I had some studying to do. There had to be a way of defeating this. I needed to bring the old Oleeme back.

Sherona placed a hand on Oleeme's arm. "You did great. Both of you." She reached over, touching me too. "Now… we just need to make our way over to the Princess without… Oh… well, shit." Sherona forced a smile as an older Argonian male dressed in a fancy leather suit walked over to us. He had brown scales, his neck scales almost glowing bright blue. He was followed by a younger woman a little older than us. The two of us could have almost passed for twins. She had the same pink scales as me, even her feathers were light violet, almost matching my pink feathers. "Why… hello, Uncle Nanthir, Aurela." Sherona turned to face us, her smile wide and obviously forced. "Nakuma, Oleeme, may I introduce my Uncle Nanthir, and my cousin Aurela. Born under the Lord Birthsign and Lady Birthsign."

I struggled to remember what I was supposed to do in this scenario. Was I supposed to bow, curtsy, shake hands, fist bump? I couldn't remember! I struggled to move until Sherona turned to her uncle, bowing slightly. I followed her lead, Oleeme following mine. "It is an honor." The Uncle said as he glided up to us, nodding his head slightly. "So… you're a Mage, huh?" He didn't wait as he reached for my face, grabbing me by my jaw. I held myself still as he rotated my face around. "Good structure, nice and polished." He turned to look at Sherona. "Your work?"

Sherona nodded. "I did focus on the facial scales more than others, if that is what you are asking."

Yuvana snickered. "Yeah, I'm the one that focused on her breasts and butt."

I could immediately tell that Uncle Nanthir did not feel very welcoming to Yuvana. The glare he addressed her comment with sent chills down my spine. He quickly turned his attention back to me. "So, you're top of your class."

I nodded. "Yes."

"Focused on history. Or was that just for dramatic flair?"

I shrugged. "I spent a couple years studying ancient Ayleid history… some months on the Falmer… a few more months on the Lamia. Just simple stuff."

The Uncle nodded. "History is important to know where we're going. Take this current threat to our world, the Aedra. Just five years ago, the Oblivion Gates almost destroyed our world. It took a team to defeat the Oblivion Gates, but it was one person who was 'blessed by the gods' to help save the world. I feel that this time… there won't be any gods blessing our endeavor. This very well could be the gods punishing us for stretching too far from the opportunity we've been given to become a better society. We're more isolated than ever. Do you know anything about the War Council?"

I shook my head. "Never heard of it. What part of history was that part of?"

The Uncle grunted. "Current events, dear. History in the making. The Council of Shadows is reaching out to the world leaders, trying to unite everyone under the same banner. Not an as Empire, but as a Council. I have high hopes for this War Council… which your team will be part of. You, my dear…" Uncle Nanthir poked me with a cane. "will be part of history. Like those who participated in the war against the Daedra, who protected Chorrol from the Oblivion Gates. Like those of us who rushed the Oblivion Gates here in Argonia. Of which… my family was heavily involved. You could say Helstrom was in the center of it all."

Sherona sighed. "Yeah, Uncle, I know. You've mentioned it many times." She crossed her arms. "But you're just a Lord… it wasn't like you were Grandfather, rushing ahead and murdering everything in sight."

Uncle Nanthir almost laughed. "You weren't there, niece. I had my rapier. You should know… how's that Judo class of yours?"

Sherona looked away. "It's fine."

"I still pin her in less than ten seconds." Yuvana said with a laugh.

Uncle Nanthir ignored Yuvana again, turning his attention back to me. "And you, my dear… will be representing Argonia in this part of history. The Top of your class… you very well might change how our country sees Mages. Never forget… you represent the best of us. And you, my good boy…" He turned to look at Oleeme. Nanthir seemed to consider his words as he looked at the blank glowing eyes of Oleeme. "You will always do your best, won't you?"

"I will give no less than my best." Oleeme reported. "Anything less will be disgrace to the Shadow Squad."

The Uncle nodded. "Yes… it would. Do your part, Husk." He turned back to Sherona. "Have a good party, dear niece. And…" He looked over to Yuvana, who took this time to wrap her arms around Sherona's arm. The Uncle rolled his eyes, walking away without saying anything to Yuvana.

"Wow… I think he's beginning to warm up to me." Yuvana said with a snicker.

Sherona sighed. "Hist… that sucked. At least I didn't get the 'you're the eldest… you need to marry a strong noble' bullshit talk again. Or… 'still playing buffer when you're a noble' talk."

I looked over to Sherona. "I'm guessing you're not supposed to be a buffer then?"

Sherona tried to hold a laugh. "I bring so much shame to my family it's amazing. Mother supports my dreams… but Uncle…" Sherona shook her head. "He's not even a Killishe! He just got lucky and married into the family thanks to being assigned to Aunt Arcarixa. To be honest…" Sherona looked at me. "I'm not supposed to be a Lady. I'm not supposed to be dressing up in maid dresses and spend my days throwing sand onto people. I was supposed to be…" Sherona stopped talking, looking away. "My mother is Shadow Master Gashaviena. Right now… I'm supposed to be a Shadowblade, nearing completion of my training. But… I wanted to do my traditional training as a Lady. Nobles shouldn't be exempt of their job title, of what they're supposed to be a birth. I'm seen as defect. And dating a non-noble that wasn't into going to be a high-class potential like some random Shadow or Mage… it's weird. Why do they get all the attention and focus anyway? Because they're some kind of specialized military subclass? We're too focused on Shadowblades."

I understood what she was saying. "It's weird. But… I guess it makes sense. Looking back on our history, the discovery of Shadow, the creation of Shadowscales and Shadowwraiths, the training of Shadowblades… all connected directly to the Queen of Shadows, who's watched over our country for… almost a thousand years. She's the one that made Shadowblades such an important role in our country. Almost all the noble clans were destroyed during the Border War, the military mostly crushed. The need for a stronger military, a stronger noble founded on military might, all to help make the country stronger… I get it. I don't like it very much… but I get it."

"That's the point though." Sherona said. "I didn't get to choose who I was at birth. I'm a Lady, whether I like it or not. And this country forces me to act on those little dots in the sky. All because I'm somehow stronger as a maid with a feather duster than I would be with a sword. I'm lucky… I was born to a Shadowmaster. She could elevate me to a higher status just by accepting me and training me to be one, even if I wasn't worn already into a noble family. Can I do what you do?" Sherona looked at me. "Generate Shadow to make actual magick? No. But can I do what Shadowscales do? Yeah… probably. With enough training. And painful herbal supplements. Hist-appointed genetic reconditioning and I could be as good as a Mage. Remake everything about me. And yet… this whole focus on who we are at birth… is bullshit. We're Argonians. We're one of the few races in all of Tamriel that can recreate everything about ourselves by visiting a sentient tree. And yet… we're so tied up in keeping connected to some dots in the sky that tell us who we are without our approval."

"Talk like that can get you locked up." Oleeme said lightly.

"I'm a Killishe. No one will ever act on that threat. My Grandfather runs a whole colony for those who reject their place in our world. He accepts all Casteless and he protects them. He lets them do whatever they want to do with their lives. When I become the Head of my family… of Clan Killishe… I will remake all of Helstrom. Break all the rules. Dissolve the Birthsign System in our town. If we're punished for it… so be it. My head on a pike… paraded around town. I don't care. But… I will be the first to set us down the path of being who we want to be. That is why I chose to go through my assigned placement. I'm a noble… but our system says I'm a Lady. And the only way to abuse the system placed upon me is to go through it while being so elevated that it would be taboo for me to be placed in it. A noble sanding down commoners? What a scandal. And doing that while married to a normal girl? What a disaster. Yuvana and I are doing what we can to destroy our system from the inside. Grandfather applauds my actions. That's all the approval I need. A Lady will destroy our country. What a time to be alive."

I felt a sudden cold down my back. Sherona was doing all she could to destroy our country's placement system. No one we're heard about has ever done this before. And I'm guessing she wasn't the first to attempt it. Many have probably tried in the past, and as you can guess… none have succeeded. Many flee our country to avoid the system, and enjoy the benefits of living outside these rules in other countries, but in here… living in our society means playing by the official rules. If you're Argonian anyway. But… there aren't any other races living in Argonia except Lilmothiits at the moment, unless they're in the bigger cities. Our swamps are far too poisonous for other races to adventure in. I wonder what would happen if an elven family moved here and had a child born under our country's borders. Would that child be forced to participate in our country's placement training? A random elf child born Shadow being raised as Shadowscale, or born Atronach being raised in Magick Affairs. Man… how different would this country be if it changed based on that one family. The Lilmothiit do no join our training programs, so I'm guessing other races would also be exempt from our placement programs.

Sherona turned back to look at me. "Well, we shouldn't keep the Princess waiting anymore. If any nobles approach us, just politely point to the Princess and continue on. Understand?"

I nodded. "Okay. Let's just get this over with."

Sherona quickly took my hand while Yuvana took Oleeme's. The two of them rushed us through the wave of nobles, all of whom were watching us as we rushed through the battlefield of party politics. I'm sure I'd have time to try those plates of interesting non-fish looking meat. The weird looking fruit. Those colorful looking candies. I couldn't wait to try out everything. I'd been eating specialized Mage prepared meals for the longest time to help the growth of my magick abilities. It would be nice to indulge into something that doesn't boost my Mage abilities.

Soon enough, we found ourselves at a large table. I could see some of the most powerful Argonians all sitting around a large crescent table. At the Institute, we have pictures of the Queen of Shadows, and a picture of our Warlord, who we owe our allegiance to. In the middle of the table was the Queen. She was busy drinking bloodwine to notice my approach. Sitting to her right was the Warlord. I could tell by his brown scales, imposing armor adorned with spiky shoulder guards. And the cape that seemed to flutter in the wind even though he was sitting in a chair. To the Queen's right side was some other Argonian. He had green scales like her, but didn't have her purple neck. If he was sitting next to the Queen, this had to be her second child: Shadowmaster Julanza. I had been briefed on the whole royal family last night before going to bed. Sitting next to Shadowmaster Julanza had to be the Princess. She looked just like the Queen. The same light green scales, the same lilac neck scales. But she had a certain edge that I didn't see in the other Argonians. And I don't mean attitude. She looked bony. Like she just crawled out of the Soul Chamber.

Sherona released my hand as she directed my gaze to the Princess. "Princess Nexauvia, may I introduce Nakuma Vaqonala and Oleeme Pu…"

"Oleeme Puparammanx." Oleeme stepped forward, allowing Sherona to not embarrass herself even trying to pronounce his last name.

I looked deep into the Princess's violet eyes. I tried my best to keep myself from clenching my arm, grabbing my dress, or displaying any form of weakness or anxiety. She was looking right at me. I felt like I was going to faint.

…

[Nexa]

Wow… they look formidable. So, Nakuma Va… whatever. And Oleeme… I'm not even going to try to remember that last name. Nakuma was a pink-scaled Wraith with shoulder-length pink feathers that almost matched her scales. She stood in front of me, her knees almost shaking, her hands clenched tightly. She was trying her best to keep her eyes locked on me. Pretty gutsy. I could tell she was trying not to pee herself.

Oleeme on the other hand… he was a Husk alright. He had a straight back, shoulders relaxed, heavy-footed as he walked. He had dark green scales with brown neck scales, and shoulder-length violet feathers. He was pretty tall too. He was looking directly at me but I couldn't tell if he was looking me in the eye. His eyes were glowing with magicka. If he's an Atronach, that must have been hard for him; it would be a constant drain on his magicka reserves. What an odd thing for him to actively be doing if it took energy for him to keep it up. Husks normally do their tasks with as much efficiency as the can muster. An Atronach like him would want to hold onto his Shadow as much as possible in case he needed it later on.

I smiled to the four visitors. "Good afternoon. I'm Nexa. So… Nakuma… Oleeme. You'll be joining the Shadow Squad then?"

Nakuma nodded. "Y-yes. I am honored to be joining your Shadow Squad."

Oleeme also nodded. "I am also tasked with working on the Shadow Squad."

Ah, the Husk has the ability to talk. Some don't. "So, Oleeme. Let's address the Giant Anaconda in the room. You're a Husk."

"Yes."

"You're also an Atronach."

"Correct."

"Why are you making your eyes glow? It takes magicka to do that. And as an Atronach, you don't generate your own magicka."

"Partially true." Oleeme stated. "The magicka needed to generate this glow in my eyes is powered by a soul gem I keep in my pocket, fueled by Light. I may not be able to generate magicka, but as an Atronach, I can tap into Light if I'm connected to it. As a Husk… I can tap into my Light, which will generate like my Shadow. The glow in my eyes can be considered Light. I am doing this to train myself in creating Light as an Alternative to Shadow. I believe this group will benefit from having an active healer within the group. I am concerned at the lack of a White Robe assigned to a mobile squad that will be in the frontlines."

Wow… that was an actual concern that I had not considered. No Shadow Squad ever had a White Robe assigned to it. Three Shadowscales, Two Shadowwraiths, and one Shadowblade. That's the squad. Some squads, back when there was enough to go around, just five Shadowblades with one Shadowmaster. But honestly, our military was never that strong that we'd have enough to make more than a few Shadow Squads. This will be the first Shadow Squad since the fall of the Magicka Cannon not too long ago.

If I had to remake the Shadow Squad, I would like to add a White Robe… or… perhaps I should add someone who's not an Argonian at all. I could use a Lilmothiit shaman. Or maybe an Alchemist. There was one that worked with Vatu's sister, Nisha. What was her name? I think it was Kuzu. I remember stealing her shirt and then immediately ditched it for a different shirt. I wonder if she'd join the Shadow Squad if I offered.

"Unfortunately." Uncle Julanza, who sat next to me, spoke for the first time. "The Shadow Squad best operates under a small team. Maximum of six people. Anything larger and the ability of the team to move around efficiently is compromised. We tried adding White Robes to the party, but we found that Light has a way of compromising our location. It emits a bright light, and the Shadow Squad is one of mobility, stealth. Every member is able to Shadowport away if they're about to be caught. Shadowportals take time to set up and cannot be relied upon in the heat of the moment. And Light Bearers such as White Robes cannot use Shadow and thus… cannot Shadowport. They are a tactical disadvantage. And whatever healing they can give takes time to take effect. It's not like the healing spells of regular mages, which you, an Atronach can easily produce. Or even our Mage, Nakuma, can learn basic healing spells. It's just that we don't have much access to healing magick and rely on our White Robes. Perhaps we should have added healing classes to your assigned class, but we did not foresee the need for a Shadow Squad this year. The Aedra uprising was a surprise to us all. Were it not for the unexpected need for our Shadowblades to be dispatched, we would have assembled a more experienced Shadow Squad, but… here we are."

Yeah… not to mention no other Shadowblades want to work with me right now, and so… we need newbies to be on my team. I need fresh blood that don't know I'm a traitor to the country. And so… fresh cadets that were not activated around the time I started dropping bodies. But hey… no one needs to know about that. Meesei is the only one that knows about my past actions a couple weeks ago, and she would have dropped more than me in a heartbeat. But she would have also killed Nisha so… irrelevant.

Oleeme nodded to Uncle Julanza's statement. "That does make the idea of having White Robes on the squad seem disadvantageous."

"You've only just begun your studies, young one." Uncle added on. "Trust that we've had years to come up with the best working squad." Even if this version of the squad was a rush job. I wanted to laugh at the idea that having two fresh Shadowwraiths who haven't even had their first mission was better for me than two experienced Shadowwraiths that at least will tolerate my existence. "I should add in that while the Princess will be your squad leader, I am the Shadowmaster assigned as the overall captain. I will be granting you your missions, any intelligence that's been gathered. I will be your lifeline to the War Council."

"I've heard that word a lot today." Nakuma suddenly said. "What is the War Council exactly?"

Uncle Julanza smiled. "Our Warlord and Queen have allied with several nations and several guilds to assemble one last ditch effort to attack the Aedra. You might not be personally introduced to the War Council, but know that your every action will be watched by them. Noted members will be the leader of the Aldmeri Dominion, led by the Altmer sitting at this very table." Uncle Julanza directed Nakuma over to Fiirnar. Fiirnar waved to the young Argonian, forcing a smile as he nodded to her.

Nakuma looked back at us. "You'd think I would have noticed him."

I held a chuckle. "He's so forgettable."

Uncle gave me a warning glance as he looked back at Nakuma. "Other than Fiirnar, we're in the efforts of joining forces with the War Mages from Cyrodiil and High Rock. The College in Winterhold has… strained relations with us and won't be representing in the War Council as of right now. With the War Mages from Cyrodiil, we'll have the best chances of surviving this war. There is also a mission already in the planning, but I cannot share it right now. You will be briefed shortly. You, especially, Nakuma will have an assignment granted to you first thing in the morning. I'll probably get with you before you go to bed tonight."

I saw Nakuma's face flush. "I understand."

"This mission is of the most importance. And it is being granted to you based on your research into Ayleid magick. Anyway, enjoy the party. Niece… if you'd like to join our friends, I'm sure they'd like getting to know you more."

Uncle just gave me the ultimate out. "Oblivion yeah!" I pushed away from the table jumping out of my chair. "Finally. Let's go have some fun!"

Fuck all this sitting at the table and doing nothing shit. I'm here to party.

I threw myself over the table, placing my hand as I pushed myself into a jump. I cleared the table with only one casualty, Uncle Julanza's bloodwine. That made me laugh as I cleared the table. Uncle Julanza didn't look as impressed. I could tell I would pay for that later, but… really, who cares. Everyone's committed to making me this squad's leader. I can have some fun.

I found myself sighing as I joined my new friends. "So… Nakuma. Got your scales buffered." I looked over to Sherona. "See you did your amazing work again."

Sherona mockingly bowed to me. "I live to serve, your Highness."

That made me laugh. "Right, right. So, how's the Shadowblade training?"

Sherona shared a small smirk. "What training? I'm a Lady."

Yeah right. I've seen Sherona at the Shadowball Court. "Ah-huh. Tell that to Arcath."

"She's young. Too easy to take out." Sherona said with a dismissive wave. "She's only 13."

"And training to be a Shadowblade. No Lady buffer can take on a 13 year-old Shadowblade-in-training. I should know. She's almost as good as I was."

Sherona scoffed. "Maybe you're not as good as you think you are." She gave me a mocking glare.

Ohh… Sherona. You're trying to piss me off. "Perhaps the Shadow Squad would be in better hands with you buffering it then."

Sherona chuckled. "Perhaps. But I'll gladly be the one massaging the tiny aches and pains out of your body when you return from your missions. Yuvana and I have been assigned as the Shadow Squad's personal Lady Service. Massages and Buffers at your leisure. And you'll have the Lords Gregori and Arex for the same. We'll be your official servants. Feel free to use us as you feel necessary."

Yuvana chuckled. "Oh, please use us. It's been a while since your last buffering."

I showed my arm to Yuvana. The fresh new scales that were still growing in. "Don't need a buffering. I was scaled. Had my entire outer layer of scales ripped off. Took years off my complexion."

Yuvana winced. "Oh… right. I didn't hear about that."

"No one should know." I reminded Yuvana.

"What?" Nakuma froze in her spot. "You were… scaled?"

"And tailed." I added on. I turned to face her. "That's why you're on my squad and not some… other trained Shadowblades." I glanced over to Sherona.

Sherona smirked as she mock-bowed to me. "Even if I were a Shadowblade, I would serve without question." I know you're training in secret Sherona. Just let the other nobles know already. Of course, if she did, all her efforts to turn the nobles' heads by going through her Lady training would go out the window.

"You're welcome to join, Sherona. I'd rather have you watching my back than Meesei." I was completely serious too. I don't trust my cousin. I think she did something to the Deejena girl. It's just how she wrote the report. There was too much missing from the mission details. I know Meesei. She's detailed when it matters. And the report was too… brief. I don't trust the person my cousin has turned into.

Sherona waved the thought away. "I'm needed here to buffer the nobles into submission."

I shrugged as we reached the bowl of candies from Elsweyr. "Ooh… moon sugar. Nakuma… come here…" This was going to be fun.

…

[Nakuma]

The Princess was summoning me. Peer pressure. I can tell by her face, she wanted to prank me. She as a small round orb of glittery pink candy. It's suspicious, because this is the kind of thing Oleeme would have done to me in the Institute. But… I have to do it. She's the Princess. And my squad leader. My boss. No matter what I do… I lose. She's going to ruin my reputation right here in front of every noble in the country.

I looked over to Sherona and Yuvana. They were both mysteriously keeping their attention away from me as they found reasons to inspect the area away from us. Great… I guess I'm not getting out of this. Or… I could pass it off.

"Ohh… Oleeme! The Princess wants us to try some candy. You should try it first."

Oleeme glared at me. If this was the old Oleeme, he'd understand this was a prank. I wonder if the new Oleeme still has this understanding. He looked from me over to the candy in the Princess's hand. "Very odd." Oleeme reached down, grabbing the candy. "Candy that glitters. I am unfamiliar with this kind of design. Moon sugar is known to glitter when condensed into solid form. Perhaps this candy ball is made of moon sugar?"

"And strawberry." The Princess added in. "It has a soft gel inside it. It's really sweet."

Every noble stopped what they were doing, their eyes dangerously peeking over to us, all while pretending to keep up their social talk. To an untrained eye, it would seem like idle curiosity. I was bullied all my life at the Institute. I know prank eyes when I see them. Every noble knew what was about to happen.

"Oleeme." I grabbed onto his arm. "Moon sugar is…"

"A hallucinogenic sugar. Yes, I am aware. Helps Khajiits relax, known to help with Moon Walks." Oleeme popped the candy into his mouth. I watched as his mouth twitched. "That was very sour."

"Damn…" The Princess exhaled. "I thought you'd at least pucker your lips." She rubbed the back of her head. "You Husks are a whole new breed."

The other nobles quickly went back to their real conversations. They wanted to see us humiliated, and Oleeme managed to save us from social destruction by not showing real emotion during an embarrassing event.

"Excuse me." One of the random nobles walked up to me. They were just a little taller than me, light pink scales, dark blue neck. They had long white feathers that fell nearly to the floor. "So, tell me, Mage. What was it like having an Atronach in your class?"

I looked over to Oleeme. "I mean…"

"How many times did you abuse him in your class?" The Argonian continued to push on me.

Oleeme brushed past me, knocking me away from the random noble. "I was not bullied by her. In fact, I bullied her."

The Argonian glared up at Oleeme, who was taller than this other Argonian. "I suppose you believe that it makes what you went through okay, doesn't it? Bullied by your peers, and why exactly? Because you're not a Mage like her." The Argonian looked past Oleeme over to me.

"You're an Atronach, aren't you?" Oleeme wasn't guessing, it was almost like he knew.

The Argonian stood there, arms crossed. "Yeah, I am. Name's Artiss Linspas. Shadowblade." They stuck out their hand for a handshake. "And you'll be joining our ranks soon enough."

Oleeme smacked Artiss's hand away. "Do not insult my teammate. She had done nothing wrong. And bad-mouthing her for her birthsign's stereotypical personality is an illogical fallacy." Oleeme turned back to me. "Come, Nakuma. We have other foods to try."

Artiss crossed their arm. "Hey, I'm just trying to connect to a fellow Atronach. There aren't a lot of Atronachs in the Shadowblade Legion. It's usually Mages and Shadows. We're a rare occurrence. And to hear you went through the Mage course…that's kind of amazing."

Oleeme turned back to Artiss. "As you can see… I did not come out unscathed."

"Because of people like her." Artiss argued. "I heard your introduction. Bullied by your peers. For being an Atronach."

Some other random noble walked over to us. She was older than the rest of us. She looked fit, like an athlete. She held herself with a strong stance. "What kind of trash are you talking about, Artiss?"

The Princess face-palmed. "Oh… hi, Harina. When did you get here?"

"Just a minute ago. Lost my invitation to this at-the-last-moment thing." She turned to look at me. "So… top of your class, huh?" She pointed to herself. "Me too. Take a good look. I'm your future. Mage-trained Shadowblade." She ruffled my feathers before turning over to Artiss. "Look, Artiss… you weren't in the program. You were raised Shadowblade, so don't pretend to know what it's like at the Institute or the Academy. It's very stressful. Everyone competes with everyone. The weakest in the bunch is always punished by spending time in the Shadow Chamber. It's a torture Chamber meant to break individuality. I watched many Wraiths fail the Soul Chamber because they were already broken in the Shadow Chamber. And from I gather, Oleeme probably spent a lot of time there."

"A lot." I nodded.

Harina looked back at Artiss. "I'm amazed Oleeme isn't a Pure Wraith. One hell of a willpower to avoid that fate. His strength is what led him here, and no one is ever going to question that. Not me, not Nakuma, and not Oleeme. He may have been bullied by his peers, but I can guarantee you… so was anyone else not an Atronach. Oleeme?" Oleeme looked over to Harina. "You bullied, Nakuma, right? Just you?"

"No." Oleeme reported. "The entire class hated her. She was the best of us, which made our lives harder. We all bullied her."

"And yet, Artiss, you stand here and accuse Nakuma of being some kind of monster? She's a child that tried her best to survive, as was Oleeme. As did the rest of her classmages. Oleeme, Nakuma? Where's the rest of your class."

"Deceased." Oleeme said with no feeling at all.

"Died in the Soul Chamber?" Harina looked over at Oleeme.

"Yes."

"Pure Wraiths?"

"Supposedly."

Harina looked back at Artiss. "You have no idea the kind of hell Mages go through. Atronachs in their own field get a cakewalk of having magick blasted at them for experimentation, true, but their survival rate is 90% versus the Mage survival rate of below 40%. And this class… clearly something was messed up. Only 20% survival? And yet… the Atronach survived. Really tells you something, doesn't it?"

Artiss kept their mouth shut.

Harina looked at me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Don't let this knuckle draggers try to tell you you're less than awesome. Anyone else in this room would have died trying to pass the same test you rocked. You and Oleeme. And don't let anyone else tell you different." With that, Harina turned on her heel, marching away.

The Princess walked up to me, groaning as she watched Artiss saunter off. "Well… that happened. How about we ditch this place and have some real fun?"

"What kind of fun?" Sherona walked up to join us.

"Archery Tag." The Princess smiled.

"Now we're talking." Yuvana cracked her knuckles.

Archery Tag? "I don't know archery."

"Nakuma's on your team!" The Princess declared to Sherona.

Cearbhail:

I wanted to focus more on court intrigue but then I realized... I suck at thinking like a noble.