Chapter 19: Breakout... sort of. Part 2
I descended the stairs with Calinwen behind me when further ahead we heard several people arguing. "Elenwen won't like this Justicar, you put more soldiers here then needed." A male voice said.
"i don't care i was put here in charge by the first Ambassador and i want this facility locked tighter then a chapel's priest ass and if i am doing something wrong she can come down herself and say it in my face. Now i suggest you keep to your area of expertise and let me worry about security and the higher ups." This one was a female voice. We arrived at the bottom stairs where we saw the thalmor who were arguing. I stopped at the door post and nonchalantly leant against it with my arms crossed on my chest. "Now you have your job to do and i have mine you're dismissed." She said with a tone with brokered no argue.
"On your head be the consequences Justicar." The male spat out before walking away with great strides. The female sat down with a loud sigh and i walked closer.
"Justicar Shalia?" i said through my mask. She looked up and her eyebrow shot up when she saw us.
"Yes that is me, what can i do for you." She leaned back in her chair.
"We are here for a prisoner but it seems you have your hands full with your own subordinates." I said slightly joking.
"Ah i see you heard that, well you need to fill this form in which i will release the prisoner to the custody of the red legion and then i will take you to the prisoner." She said handing a bulletin with a form.
"It has been months since i saw you on the ship Shalia, how is your work going here." I said filling in the form. She looked puzzled at best in which i gave a short laugh. I pulled my mask down and gave her a cocky grin. "I told you the masks where handy in being undetected."
"My prince, why are you getting this prisoner and not one of your soldiers?" she asked incredulously.
I sighed. "Shalia what did i tell you no titles please. The reason why is because i need to do some things myself and i like leading by example not behind a desk." I handed the bulletin to Calinwen so she can fill in the blanks about the prisoner. "But you haven't answered my question."
"Well i have met some resistance here about how i do things but nonetheless i like it here, some of the prisoners will go to Alinor." She poured herself something to drink and motioned if i wanted to which i politely refused. "I doubled patrols and two guards per group so that there is no way we can be caught surprised."
"And what has this to do with the first Ambassador?" i asked when Calinwen passed the bulletin back and i checked everything.
"He thinks that i am wasting soldiers to secure the keep instead sending them to the Ambassador." She said after taking a bit of her drink.
"Well my understanding is that the Ambassador works well with Legion soldiers so there won't be a problem, but here is the form." I said handing the form back. She checked the form and walked us through the keep.
"Why do you want this Thorald?" she asked checking the form.
"I have reason to believe that man has more in his head then the Thalmor wish to know." I said when she opened a door to the mess hall. "When will the prisoners be transported to Alinor?"
"I can't say maybe in a few months but that is not my call." She said leading us further into the keep. "But when will you visit me like you promised?"
"I am busy at the moment and i will leave for a couple of months and after that i will come by and check on you or maybe someday at the embassy."
"Promise that, and here we are." She opened a door into a torture room which smelled of burned flesh and human waste. "By the gods Fasendorf what is that smell...no never mind i don't want to know."
"Well hello there Justicar Shalia what a pleasant surprise." Fasendorf said rather cheerfully with a hint of sarcasm in it. I quickly put my mask on so i wouldn't smell it as much. I looked at the male and noticed it was the same from when i entered.
"We are here for a prison transfer." She gulped loudly. "It is about Thorald gray-mane of Whiterun hold."
"Hmm such a shame was just going to interrogate him." He said with sadness in his voice. "Well take him and go can't work with an audience." I walked up to the unconscious middle aged nord and released him.
"Can you give me a blindfold and some rope for his arms?" i asked Shalia which she quickly handed to me and i bound the man's arms behind his back and blindfolded him. I picked his body half up and dragged him with me. "Damn this one is heavy." I turned towards Calinwen. "Get the horses ready at the entrance will meet you there."
"There is a side entrance that way is closer then dragging him all the way to the keep." I nodded and Calinwen sprinted of the get the horses ready. "Here let me help you." She said picking the nords legs.
"Thanks Shalia, but tell me wouldn't you rather be somewhere else?" i asked trying to get to know her a little better.
"You mean like on the frontline and such?" she asked back in response i nodded. "No not really but back in Alinor, near the coast towns looking over the seas."
I chuckled softly. "Well don't get lost in the dreams Shalia, although you do look pretty when you think about home." She got a slight pink blush on her cheeks and wanted to reply but we reached the end of the keep and i opened the door and Calinwen stood there with our horses. "Only him on the back of the horse and we will leave."
After we put the nord on the horse i mounted my horse and turned towards Shalia. "well Shalia best of luck and we will meet again."
"Thank you and you to, May we meet in different circumstances next time." A graceful smile on her face. We spurred our horses to walk. As we returned up the slope of the mountain i turned my head towards Calinwen. "ok when we reach that run down watchtower we saw on the way, we will stay and talk to your 'friend' and then you will bring him away and return the armor to the fort."
She was silent for a few moments. "And what do you want to talk about with him, for all we know he hates our kind and will join the stormcloaks when he can."
"True but have you considered that if we feed him information on the imperial legion that he will help us in the long run." I said with a sly smile. "Besides as long as the war continues the Thalmor win in the end." We arrived at the watch tower and together we put the nord on the floor with his back against a relative good wall. "Might take a while before we see each other again but why did you promise his family to aid them?"
"Because i thought at first it would hurt the imperial legion but when i found proof he was in the custody of the Thalmor his brother wanted to assault north watch keep with some friends." She sighed. "I couldn't let good dominion forces die because of the Thalmor."
"I see well i don't object but soon if everything works out the Thalmor won't be..." i stopped halfway when the nord began to stir."Ah you're finally awake, let us see. What is the last thing you remember?" I asked softly.
"What? Fuck you Thalmor i won't say a thing." The man grunted out.
"Are you sure that he is willing to work with us, we could bring him back to the Thalmor." I said turning to Calinwen.
"No he will when we tell him of our plan with the imperial and Thalmor." She walked to the nord and pulled his blindfold off. "Thorald your brother asked me to rescue you."
"Who are you people?" Thorald asked looking at us both.
"We serve a secret organization within the dominion trying to undermine the Thalmor but here in skyrim we can't do that we need your help with that." Calinwen said softly to Thorald. I admire her way with words give or take a few years she could persuade forces to follow her into oblivion and back. "I will say our plan to you and if you agree or not you are free to go wherever you please." Thorald still held some distrust in his eyes and Calinwen gave a smile and cut his bonds.
"Are you sure?" i asked. "Our superiors where very precise with what we should do." Playing my part she laid out for us.
"Yes we can't go around like the Thalmor we get more enemies that way." Calinwen simply said and looked back to Thorald who simply nodded. "Ok well we can't go around stopping the imperial legion doing the Thalmor's work but you and others can. So what i propose is you go to the wherever you go take some men or woman and we give you hidden messages to stop the plans of the imperials and Thalmor." I crossed my arms.
"Our lord won't be pleased with this. How can we be sure that he is trust worthy with our information?" I stepped away from them both.
"I understand what you are saying but we need all the help we can get in skyrim." Calinwen said and then turned to Thorald. "So what do you say?"
"Before i say yes or no. why are you doing this?" Thorald said surprised. "Every elf i met where with the Thalmor."
"Many people in the dominion don't feel the same way as the Thalmor, some of us just want peace." Calinwen said with a heavy heart. "Many Altmer, bosmer and khajijt have lost family or friends thanks to the Thalmor me included." She looked up towards Thorald.
"I will do it, if this means that the dominion will leave us alone afterwards i will aid you but do not betray me because i promise to hunt you down and kill you." He said matter of fact.
"I promise well i will bring you to solitude where you can go away quickly." Calinwen stood up and offered her hand to the nord which in turned grabbed it.