When they enter the Blue Palace, they are greeted with the waiting room that leads into multiple chambers arraying from left, right and middle and within this waiting room contains extravagant wooden sitting areas along with some potted plants that give off a very alluring smell. He's seen some new people that are occupying thee sits and show a look of surprise when they see Orion. Facing him is the splitting spiral staircase that leads up to the jarl's court, on his left he spots the left hallway that leads to the kitchen and where the staff bed for the nights along with the spare guest bedrooms and other miscellaneous rooms. On his right is the wing that leads to the abandoned Pelagius wing of the castle that hasn't been accessed ever since he visited Sheogorath in his plane of Oblivion summers ago.
He took a deep breath and proceeded to find his way up to the court of Jarl Elisif. He saw very familiar old faces that brought waves of memories that would flood his mind: Bolgeir Bearclaw, the Housecarl of Elisif; Falk Firebeard, the Steward of Elisif; and the new Court Wizard named Melaran, A High elf who once served Erikur for his quest to take over the throne but was stopped and foiled by the Dovahkiin. The previous court wizard Sybil was founded out to be a vampire who served The Wolf Queen Potema and before they could take action, she disappeared into the night.
Though there was one change and that change was that Falk was sitting on one of the sits and with an arm entangled with his, was none other than Thane Bryling.
Orion remembered secretly sneaking into the Thane's house and discovering their secret relationship and love they had for each other but had to hide it because of the Civil war and alongside Erikur. Now that both were either finished or out of the picture, he assumed that they could now express their love in more public places. He smiled softly that the couple could express their undying love for each other finally.
Though Bolgeir was the same looking as always, he noticed only because of his thieves blood, that the bigger and older Nord was now wearing the signature ring that wedded couples were given after the ceremony. This gave Orion a sense of absolute joy, seeing that every one of his friends were able to discover love and companionship for each other.
Although unexpectedly, Elisif sat with an older fellow as well, around their ages.
He was a tall Nord figure who had a good frame to him and with that hung long blonde hair that was tied into a ponytail to not shadow his face. His piercing emerald green eyes looked straightforward and above them, dressed a gold and ruby crown that was intricate and elaborated his nordic white skin. He was attired with fine black boots, an embroidered robe that had furs and linen that was well kept and clean, and he sat on a throne adjacent to the Jarl.
" Glad to know that you found too Elisif, what's his name?" Orion spoke as he approached.
" Toryf, that's his name."
Orion inspected the older blonde Nord and gave him a nod of approval of who she had picked.
"Orion, my lordship," as he took a knee in front of the king who sat upon his throne.
Toryf glared at him with a stoic facial expression for what seemed like an eternity before he relaxes and looked softer and chuckled, " Dovahkiin, I haven't been crowned nor coronated into the position High King yet. I still have much to learn," turning his face to meet Elisif, " but with her by my side, I feel like I could take on the Daedra themselves."
The stared at each other with pure love for what seemed like an eternity to them before Karliana broke the moment.
"Elisif we came to about the request you spoke 6 months ago now, what are you not telling us."
She broke out of the trance with her husband and cleared her throat hastily before addressing them, more formally than last time they had spoken about this issue.
"Ah yes, Karliana, Orion, I would speak to you in my chambers for a more discreet conversation."
The two nodded and followed behind Elisif to her chambers and when they arrived there, she locked the door behind them.
"So, you guys still remembered the night this had happened, correct?"
Both of them shook their heads yes.
" Well apparently the coroner for the Hall of the Dead: Jerik, found something unusual on the body of my husband when he examined it." As an almost cue, she drew from her pockets within her upper robe, a small plate of metal with the emblem symbol of a snakehead and within its jaw was a red rose dripping red dye which resembled blood.
Orion looked at the strange piece of metal with curiosity and puzzlement but what Elisif and Orion didn't notice, was Karliana facial expression which was of pure horror and trauma.
" The Sigil of the Blacken Snake… the same group who murdered my parents when I was just arriving to be 20 summers…" all this was said by Karliana with absolute distraught dripping from her voice.
Orion and Elisif slowly turned to see the terrified eyes that were Kar and without hesitation, " What? What did you just say Karliana?"
The next monologue she would address, would haunt as also enrage Orion to have morbid hatred for the group:
" 10 years ago, when I was just 20 and Orion was still locked up, I was arriving from a visit Solitude to get some spiced wine from the market. It was a cold but quite sunny day in Haafingar, that is when I noticed the unusual amount of guards stationed in front of the gates of Windhelm and became rather curious about this. I was only gone for a couple of months so it was completely random to me."
" When I went up to the guards, they addressed me to stay back and not intervene with official affairs and that Windhelm was locked up due to a string of murders. I immediately demanded them to let me in that I am the daughter of the Silverien Family."
" The next expression of their faces would forever haunt me until this day"
Their facial expressions almost instantaneously turned from serious to faces filled with absolute grief and one of the guards after a while of just staring at her spoke, " Miss. Silverien I am sorry to inform but the victims of the murder are none other than your parents, I am deeply sorry for your lost."
"I stared at them with absolute disbelief and the guard handed me that exact identical small plate of fucking metal and said this is what they founded on my father's body. Ever since that day, I was doing hard research with the Mages of Winterhold to the great sages of Morrowind and founded out this was the symbol of the elusive assassination clan known as the Sigil of the Blacken Snakes. Apparently, no one who isn't in the clan doesn't know their intentions for some of the murders they committed and anyone who even tries to leave, well, let's say there's no account of those people because they're 6 feet under the ground."
The others in the room were absolutely dumbfounded after she was done speaking and revealing all of this information. This awkward tension in the atmosphere lingered for a while before someone finally spoke up.
"Well if someone knew the name of the group, then at least someone had to escape or stupidly infiltrate their halls?' Elisif puzzled.
Karliana pondered this question for some time before replying to her, " You're right… someone had to…"
As if a shock spell had hit her, she spoke, " Well If I can recall, I remember an unknown and weird scholar telling me to, quote: "Visit where darkness triumphs and light dies."
"The Twilight Sepulcher" Orion interjected
"The man wants you to go there, I remember there being a certain puzzle the light would harm you if you went into it and the darkness was safe. Also, that is the last phrase Nocturnal told me before she left."
"Well looks like that's where you're to head off firstly Orion, Karliana. Find whoever this mysterious contact that man was talking about and report back to me with updates or when you've found the culprits who murdered my husband. You are dismissed."
A/N: I am so bloody sorry! Please don't be mad at me for not posting last week ;-;... I was on Thanksgiving break for school and didn't have time to write. I promise I will update/post another chapter this week. I HAVE NOT AND NEVER WILL ABANDON THIS STORYYY MUAHAHAHA. Anyways have a amazing rest of your week
~Skully