Chapter 16: a Meeting.
The doors of riften opened up for us after we told the guard we had a meeting with Lady Black-Briar.
We walked through riften when Aiden suddenly spoke up. "Sir this place is a dump look at the mold on the wood and just overall bummer feeling you get."
"Don't worry Aiden if we are lucky we leave this as soon as possible but if not tomorrow." I replied while looking at the city in front of me. We walked towards to what looked like an inn.
"You there hold!" someone said from behind us. I turned around and saw a nord in steel armor with his arms folded in front of him. "Are you the ones who claimed to have a meeting with Maven?" he said in a low voice. I stepped closer to him and noticed from the corner of my eyes several others in armor waiting. "Who wants to know?" I challenged him.
"Don't say anything you will regret elf." He retorted. "I'm Maul and i watch these streets for Maven."
"Well i am Thorein and i claimed i have indeed a meeting with her." I responded casual. "So are you going to bring me to her or must i stand in this dreadful town any longer?"
"Yes she wants to see you but just you and no one else." Maul said dropping his arms and standing less hostile.
"Trandil look for a blacksmith and buy some ebony ores and ingots, Aiden and Ramiana go look around and meet me at the inn in two hours." I commanded without looking away from maul. "Done sir!" they said in unison.
I motioned for Maul to lead the way and he walked across the bridge with me on his heels.
After a while Maul pointed towards a door. "Enter and wait until you're summoned." With that he turned around and left me. I opened the door and looked around. I looked into an oddly shaped reception room with a chair to your left, a long end table against the northeast wall some wardrobes and iron swords. I waited a few minutes when Maven entered the room. She had dark hair with a hint of grey in it, she wore some red noble clothes and a glass dagger at her left waist.
"So you are the one who claims to have a meeting with me hmm pray tell me why would i be willing to talk to you?"
"Because i have a proposition for you my lady black-briar and because the queen wants it so." I responded with a small bowl. "And because i believe we can help each other out, where as the thalmor can't." A small grin came across my face.
She puffed slightly. "And what can you do they cannot?" she asked condescending.
"Easy they can make your enemies disappear but can they also give you what you desire most?" i asked with a small hint of arrogance. "Besides they only see you as an asset nothing more whereas i see you as a possible ally in the coming darkness."
"Let's discuss this in my office shall we?" she waved me to come after her and let me through a series of doors. After we enter what seems to me her office. "So tell me who are you and what do you propose?"
"My name is Thorein, and i propose an alliance between the red legion and the Black-Briar clan. Should my men need your assistance you aid them and when you need assistance throughout Tamriel you will get it." Maven motions me to sit on a chair with seems to be fit for a noble at court. I sat down on the pointed chair. "Like for instance if you have a well respected noble from Cyrodiil who hinders you in any way we make him disappear and what he owns will fall into the hands of who will do your bidding."
"And what do you get out of it precisely?" she asked unconvinced.
"I personally, not much but the queen and the dominion get a steadfast ally, if you accept this proposal." I took a scroll from my pack and handed it over. She unrolled the scroll and looked a few times over it before saying." It is a deal, tell queen Aldmeri that i look forward to our allegiance." I stood up and extended my hand which she accepted shook our hands. "Great now if you will excuse me lady Black-briar i have taken up enough of your time and you are a busy person running this city from behind the curtains if i can say it that way." I nodded and walked away. 'This is a great step towards my mother's ultimate plan.' I thought to myself as i closed the front door and began walking back towards the inn. I looked towards the sky and saw i had a roughly half an hour before everyone returned.
I decided i would walk around the market before going to the inn see what the locals had to sell.
The market was almost deserted some stalls and costumers there was a forge at the corner of the roundabout i browsed the wares and saw a beautiful golden necklace with an sapphire in the middle and 2 other gemstones next to it, i looked towards the sales man and saw an argonian "how much does this necklace cost my good man?" i asked while pointing towards the necklace.
"Only 200 septims." He said with a slight hiss in his voice. "I am having a sale today so buy two pieces of jewelry and get the third for free."
I looked the stall some more and bought a gold matching ring as well and got a circlet for free.
As i tucked the jewelry into my bag i saw Trandil walking towards the inn. "Trandil!" I called out to him he stopped and looked towards me and nodded. "Hail sir! Why did you need this ore and ingots?""You will see my friend, but in the mean time i have an assignment for you." I said when i caught up to him."What is the assignment sir?" he asked while handing over the ebony ores and ingots. "I want you to train Aiden to lead a squad of men and you are the perfect soldier to do it." I said while opening the door of the inn.
We made our way back to the fort at the break of dawn. Trandil has begun training Aiden while Ramiana talked with me about the future and about the dominion and our goals.
"So let me get this straight you want to get the Dominion do what it was supposed to do like centuries ago?" she asked me in reply i simply nodded. "And how do you see the other races in this future of yours?" i thought about how i would formulate my answer. "Well we want peace but also our ancestors homelands restored to us but as for redguards, nords and the others well we can live in peace with them but only if they know there place in the dominion, you know your place that is why my men like you now more than in the beginning." Over the past weeks Ramiana showed the legion she was one of them despite being a redguard, the men slowly starting to trust her and began accepting her with assignments and other things. "Ah i see thanks sir." She replied with a small smile on her face. In the distance the fort was coming into view.
I dismounted my horse when we arrived at the fort when a messenger came up to me. "Sir. I have a message for you." He said while saluting. "What is the situation soldier?" i asked while giving him a salute back. "It is in this letter sir." He handed me a letter before bowing and walked away. I walked towards my room while reading the letter.
To Lord Thorein, leader of the red legion forces of the Aldmeri Dominion.
Lord Thorein,
Our forces in Cyrodiil have encountered the rogue Mawinor.
We have tried to apprehend him but we have failed in that regard the soldiers trying to catch him reported that he was making his way to Skyrim.
After we lost him we looked for clues on his whereabouts could be in skyrim and we found a note which i will write on this letter as well.
"The cold of the north and the warmth of the south won't be anything from my home town."
We are trying to figure out what i meant but so far no luck.
Should you have found him i would like to know what we can do to assist you in his capture to make up for our failure.
With great honor your general from Cyrodiil,
Nirnvor.
I sighed and pinched my nose bridge. 'I told them to wait for my orders not act on their own.' I thought to myself. I opened my room doors when i heard a familiar voice called out to me. "Sir may i ask you something? It is about a plan i have." I turned around towards Ramiana. "Yes Ramiana you said you had a plan but didn't discuss it further on the way from Riften." I motioned for her to come inside my room and to take a seat. "Yes well i was thinking if you accept other races into the Red Legion and the Dominion we could do so much when the Thalmor can't or where you want to be left out of if you know what i mean." I thought for a second before saying. "Yes i see what you mean Ramiana i will think about your proposal but first i must figure out a sentence."
"Talk to me sir maybe i can help two minds are better than one." I chuckled slightly. "Well that can be applied to anything really. But what do you think 'The cold of the north and the warmth of the south won't be anything from my hometown' means? "She was silent for a while looking around my room. I stood up and walked towards a desk and opened a small box which i put the jewelry in. "the person who wrote this lived in the summerset isles in a small town on the edge of the woods and he is currently in skyrim so think about the meaning." She gasped slightly. "I know where to find him." I looked at her confused. "He is in Falkreath the cold of the north which means skyrim and the warmth of the south means hammerfell." I thought about it a few minutes. "You're probably right so i will send men to investigate." She looked happy before walking away when she reached the door i said. "Rami, thank you for everything you have done for the red legion and me, will see you in a while yes?" she turned around and said. "Off course sir you won't get rid of me that easily." and walked away. I let out a low laugh and sat at my desk