4E 201
23rd of Evening Star

The dim and quiet interior of the officer's quarters in Fort Sungard was usually a refreshing change from the freezing air of Skyrim to the person seated within. Despite the fort's age, and the fact that it had been recently cleansed of the Forsworn scum, the Altmer that was seated behind the desk tended to enjoy the solitude the room offered, even when others permitted entrance to speak with him.

As of right now however, that was not the case.

The mer dressed in the dark robes of the Aldmeri Dominion scowled as he read through the letter for the third time. The soldier clad in the fine golden armour of the Thalmor stood on the other side, fidgeting nervously as he waited for the Justicar to finish. From under his hood, the man's face was contorted in a scowl, his thin lips pursed together in barely contained anger.

At last, the Justicar lowered the parchment, pinching the bridge of his nose as he let out a frustrated sigh. Slamming that hand down on the oak desk, he glanced up at the soldier with discontent in his pale eyes. "You are certain that this information is correct, Lieutenant?" he questioned haughtily.

Folding his hands behind his back and raising his head up in respect- and to avoid the displeased Justicar's eyes- the soldier nodded. "I am ser Rulindil, the mercenaries have failed to eliminate the target. The patrol legion said themselves that they witnessed the carnage when they followed her after she murdered our informant. She is still at large."

Inhaling slow breaths, Rulindil rose from his seat, making the Lieutenant sweat as he paced over to the nearby window. Locking his hands together behind his back, the Altmer glared out the glass, seeing down to the courtyard of the old fort below. He just barely spotted the legion of soldiers on the early morning drills down below, since it was still dark out. He watched them for only a moment before speaking again. "And they did not intervene, why?"

Clearing his dry throat, the Thalmor soldier tersely responded. "The group she travels with were beset upon by a dragon, sir. They lost sight of them to avoid the eye of the beast, but I am confident that she still remains oblivious."

"I see." Rulindil voiced quietly, turning back to the soldier. "That, however, is hardly an excuse. Send in Captain Laraethus, I wish to speak with him."

"At once sir." with that, the Lieutenant turned on the balls of his foot and walked out the office.

Groaning in irritation, Rulindil returned to his desk, lowering back into the chair. Resting an elbow on the arm, he massaged his forehead. This recent event has truly thrown a cog in the mechanics. With that girl still at large, she continued to pose a considerable threat to the Dominion. After many years of evading their capture, she had proven to be a constant thorn in their side with her very presence. Upon loosing all trace of her for months after that first dragon had appeared, it had displeased First Emissary Elenwen greatly. Therefore, she had bestowed the task of locating the girl to him and now that she had finally been located, it was incredibly infuriating when she continued to unwittingly evade them. It is frustrating to know that no matter whom he hired, they could not accomplish the task of eliminating one oblivious girl.

Deciding to now take matters into his own hands, he reached over the desk to grab a piece of blank parchment. Once the crisp paper was before him, he took the nearby inkwell and opened it before brandishing his quill and dipping it inside, beginning to write.

After he had finished the first sentence, that was when the entrance door opened, permitting a soldier clad in the dark armour of an officer. Captain Laraethus stepped up to the desk, bowing his head respectfully to the Justicar. "You wished to see me, ser Rulindil?"

Rulindil stayed silent for a little while, finishing the sentence before leaning back, dropping the quill into the inkwell. Puffing out a breath through his nose as he linked his hands together upon the table, the Justicar glanced up at the Captain. "Yes." he said at last. "The recent information of the mercenaries failure is truly troubling. Herself has been rather adiment that that girl is to be eliminated in order to keep our hold in her homeland, but with her still living, it poses a great threat to us."

"I understand sir." Captain Laraethus nodded. "But I know that she cannot evade our blades for much longer. If we should raise the reward, then I am certain-"

However, Laraethus was swiftly interrupted by Rulindil raising a hand. "No, no." he dismissed. "I will no longer entrust this assignment to mere sellswords. Such scum has all ready proven their incompetence in this matter."

"What would you have us do then, sir?" the Captain asked carefully, as though he was afraid to incur the Justicar's wrath.

Rulindil glanced back down to the parchment on the desk before him. "I am writing a request to the First Emissary to permit me to have an audience with her. I shall see to it to take care of the matter personally and should her blessing be received, I will send a select few of your men to track her down. I trust that two or three of your soldiers will be sufficient enough to take care of one little girl?"

"Of course sir." Laraethus responded, puffing his chest out in pride. "My men are highly trained and will resolve the matter promptly."

Rulindil narrowed his eyes at the Captain. "I do hope so." he said. "Go now and be prepared as I await word from Herself."

"Yes sir." and with that, the dismissed soldier turned on his heel and marched out of the office.

Upon the Captain leaving, Rulindil continued writing his letter. Once he was satisfied, he cleaned off the quill with a spare rag and folded it in its rice paper before placing it down. He dusted a small pinch of sand over top the parchment to help the ink dry, blowing off the excess. Rolling up the parchment, he tied it with twine before slipping it into a delivery roll embroiled with the Emissary's seal. Rising from his seat, he retreated to another part of the office.

It was there that he walked over to a radiant raven that was perched inside it's cage, it's ebony feathers glossy and clean. Opening it, Rulindil coaxed the bird over with some seeds, allowing it to perch on his arm. As it feasted on the seeds, Rulindil attached the message to it's leg and walked over to the nearby window. Opening the glass, he frowned when the cold air rushed through, stinging his warmed face and blowing out a couple nearby candles. Outstretching his arm while mentally cursing the chill, he spoke to the raven in his native tongue.

In moments, the bird spread it's wings and took flight, immediately turning northbound.

Satisfied, Rulindil closed the window, sealing out the wintry winds. Relighting the candles with simple flame spells on his way back to the office, he decided to finish the paper work he was working on before receiving the news. It would take at least a good few days before word from the First Emissary would arrive, may as well be sure that everything is in order in the meantime.

As the raven left the fort atop the mountain behind and flew over the crevices of the Reach, that was when it suddenly seized up, a green glow encircling it. It dropped out of the sky like a rock, but the green glow brightened, making the bird float gently to the snow covered ground. However, it still couldn't move a single muscle, even when a shadow loomed over it, blocking the waning light of the moons.

A dark figure hidden beneath a black fur cloak and hood knelt beside the paralysed animal. After a brief scan of the area to insure that he was alone, the figure reached down to the raven and plucked off the message tube. Leaving the raven where it lay, he spoke lowly to it in a deep baritone voice. "My apologies, creature of the night." at that, he opened the tube and took out the parchment within. Putting the tube beside the bird, he unrolled the paper and read the contents.

It took him only a few moments but upon completing it, he hummed in both interest. If the request for an audience with the First Emissary meant what he believed it did, than that means the Thalmor were about to make their move, just as he feared they would. He should have known that old man had a higher purpose. Why else would he have a contract on him?

Knowing that he couldn't burn the message, as the Thalmor would get suspicious, he decided then and there to allow the raven to deliver it. That way, he'd be able to make his move without the Dominion knowing of his existence.

Rolling the parchment up and sliding it back into the tube, he hooked it back on the raven's leg. Lightly gripping the animal, he cancelled the Paralyse spell he had cast upon it, allowing the bird to move freely again. Boring his eyes into the creatures dark ones, he spoke to it once again. "Do what you have been assigned to do by your masters."

At that, he released the bird, watching it take flight in an instant, carrying on with it's previous course. Looking away from it, since now it was no longer his concern, the figure hefted the backpack he had dropped nearby, throwing it back over his shoulders. It would be dawn soon and he had to get moving now if he was to avoid the eyes of the Thalmor guards, as well as beating them to the punch. He was risking enough as it was by being this close to one of their outposts, since his dark form contrasted against the snow.

Now at the bottom of the cliff, he closed his eyes, concentrating as he scented the air. Many different scents hit him at once, but all ones that mattered little to him was pushed to the back of his mind, focusing on one hidden in the plethora of smells. Finally locating what he was searching for, he smiled, turning to the right and whistling lowly. In response, a dark horse trotted over to him, standing obediently at his side before he mounted it. Flicking the reigns, he coaxed the horse to begin a light canter eastward toward Whiterun.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The ringing of metal against metal filled the mid-day air in Jorrvaskr's training yard, where Ty'ani and Aela was practising their swordplay. Well, Ty'ani was, Aela was teaching her. The Khajiit and Nord both had practise short swords in their right hands, the blades dulled and rounded off but would still hurt if struck by it. Of which Ty'ani had found out quite regularly during her time training. Even now, she was sporting a few bruises.

Off to the side, underneath the buildings awning, stood Lydia, Altwen and Haema, along with a couple other Companions who were awaiting their turn to practise.

The two in the yard circled each other, each searching the other for an opening in their defence. Ty'ani was not at the same level as Aela though, since she had yet to get through the woman's defence at all, but every mistake she made helped her to learn from them. The Khajiit knew better then to rush the woman, as that had caused her to be put down on her rear in the past. So she just waited, seeing what the Nord woman would do.

Then without warning, Aela shot forward with an overhead cleave, of which Ty'ani batted away with her sword, retaliating with a swing at the woman's legs, which was rewarded much the same. The Khajiit took a step back, forcing Aela to step forward to take a swing at her empty arm, which the girl deflected, causing the sword to bounce away with a clang. She lunged with her short sword but Aela leant back, taking several steps away to gain distance between them.

"Nice one." she commended. "But you have to mind your footwork, you almost made yourself overbalance."

The Khajiit nodded, taking the criticism in stride before lunging forward again. Aela effortlessly parried the blow, countering by circling the blade to strike at Ty'ani's shoulder. The Khajiit was quick though, leaning away from the swing and darting back, taking advantage of her athleticism to dart back in for another attack. However, Aela twisted her body out of the way before kicking the girl's leading foot from under her.

Ty'ani yelped in shock as she tumbled down, attempting to twist her body so she would land on her back. Instead though, she landed directly on her shoulder, the fur lining of her cloak doing nothing to absorb the impact and her sword clattered down beside her on the icy ground. Knowing that she will have a bruise there later, Ty'ani groaned as she rolled onto her back, only for the tip of Aela's sword to press between her petite breasts, as though she was stabbing her through the heart.

Glancing up at Aela, she saw her smile. "Dead." she simply said, removing the sword before offering the Khajiit her hand. Grumbling with a light frown, Ty'ani accepted the offered hand, allowing the stronger woman to pull her up. Seeing her expression, Aela's smile widened. "Don't beat yourself up about it. You're performing admirably, even though you've only been here a little while. You're a fast learner, you just need to remember to watch your footing, like I said."

Ty'ani nodded at that. "Right, I'll try to remember for next time."

As the two walked over to the weapon stand, Aela continued speaking as they placed the training weapons down. "Honestly, if you ask me, I think the best way for you to learn is to get out there into some real fights. That's not up to me though, so you just go at your own pace and you'll soon get it."

"You're right, that is not up to you." Haema yelled from across the yard. Looking over, the two spotted the large woman walking toward them. She placed a hand on her hip as she shared a look with the two, Ty'ani especially. "Until I'm certain you can handle yourself in a fight, we are not going anywhere."

"I know." Ty'ani acknowledged with a nod. "I knew this was going to take some time, but to be honest it is slightly harder than I thought it was going to be. I just want to get to Ustengrav soon."

"I understand that." Haema replied, placing a hand on the Khajiit's shoulder. "You just have to be patient. Keep your focus on what is in front of you, not what's on the horizon."

"Wise words to live by." Aela commented. Before long though, the coppered haired woman began to leave. "I'd best be on my way. Have to check if any more contracts have come up yet."

"Let me know if any have." Haema told her. With a nod, Aela turned and headed straight for the meadhall. Haema and Ty'ani meanwhile walked over to Altwen and Lydia, both of whom were looking quite bored. Seeing this, Ty'ani felt a little concerned. For the past five days, she had been kept busy with her training, therefore she had no reason to be bored. Haema was much the same, though she spent most of her time with her family as well as with the Companions.

As for the rest... Alasse had been fairly scarce as of late, though Ty'ani could only assume that she had been permitted entrance to Dragonsreach, as she had once caught sight of the Altmer heading that way. That probably meant she was exchanging notes with Farengar, so she was keeping herself busy at least. Altwen on the other hand had been flittering around the city, the girl assuming it was in a bid find herself something to do. When it wasn't that, the half-elf wasted a lot of time in the tavern, drinking herself silly on most days. Lydia meanwhile, as her Housecarl, could only follow her around, as it was her duty to protect her. But since Ty'ani is spending most of her time in Jorrvaskr, that meant that the brunette could only stand on the side lines and watch her, which wasn't very engaging.

Biting her lip in thought, it didn't take Ty'ani long to think up something. Looking toward Haema, she immediately spoke up. "Haema, per chance, is there any jobs that need doing right now?"

Cocking a brow, Haema shook her head in a negative. "Nothing that has not already been taken I'm afraid. Why do you ask?"

"Well," Ty'ani began, looking over to Lydia and Altwen. "The truth is, I think it's a little unfair that Altwen and Lydia are sitting by and doing nothing. I just thought that maybe there was something the three of us could do to strive off the boredom."

Hearing this, Altwen glanced at the girl, shaking her hooded head. "Oh it's okay Kitten. You don't need to interrupt your trainin' for our sake."

"No, I don't need to." Ty'ani said. "But I want to. I do care about all of you after all."

Smiling at the girl, Haema mentally praised her kind spirit before speaking again. "Well if you have your mind set upon it, then may I suggest heading to the Bannered Mare to see if there are any bounties. There's always some bandit camps nearby that the Jarl wants folks to clear out."

"Great!" the Khajiit nodded, her tone bright as she looked to her friend and Housecarl. "Then maybe we could do that, just the three of us?"

Lydia frowned in concern of this. "I'm not sure about this my Thane. Bandits are not to be reckoned with on most days, and they will not hold back because you are not yet fully trained."

Glancing at the brunette, Ty'ani nodded. "I know that, but I also know my limitations. I won't get close to them, I promise."

Looking to the Housecarl herself, Altwen smiled. "Come on Sunshine, it'll be fun. Besides, we'll both be there to take care of her and bandits won't stand a chance against the two of us, so what's the worse that can happen?"

"I really hate it when people say those words." Lydia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Finally though, she relented. "All right, lead the way then my Thane."

Ty'ani smiled, heading back into Jorrvaskr to collect what equipment she would need. "Don't worry Lydia," she reassured on the way. "We'll be back before you know it."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Moments later, Ty'ani, Lydia and Altwen exited Whiterun, a bounty letter in hand and began to make their way through the snow and down the east road. It had turned out that some bandits had been causing all sorts of trouble for travellers and merchants that frequent the White River road, of which lead toward Eastmarch. The letter said that they were based at White River Watch, a cave system that existed at the foot of the Throat of the World. Their job was to take out the leader of the clan, Hajvarr Iron-Hand, and bring back proof of his death to the Jarl.

Crossing the bridge, the three women travelled a ways down the road before finding the incline leading to the cave entrance. It was here that they stopped.

Turning to the other two, Altwen spoke up. "Look, I know how bandits tend to work. It's likely that they'd have a couple of men guardin' the outside, so if we stay quiet, then we'll be able to take 'em by surprise." looking at Lydia though, she cocked an eyebrow while biting her lip. "Though on second thought, there's no way we'd be able to sneak up on them with your armour clangin' about."

"Well, what do you want me to do about that?" Lydia hissed at the huntress, a deep frown on her face. "I cannot exactly strip down and run into battle in my small clothes after all."

Altwen smirked at the mental image that ran through her mind. "I wouldn't complain about that." seeing the Nord's displeased look, Altwen swiftly moved on as if she never said anything. "Hows about this: I'll scout ahead and see how many there are. If there's a bunch, then I'll come back and we'll charge 'em."

"Sounds good to me." Ty'ani agreed with a nod. At her acknowledgement, Altwen climbed the rocky ridges around the path and disappeared over the ledge. While she was gone, Ty'ani leant back against a nearby rock, being sure to keep her fur cloak folded under her rear. Hugging the rest of the cloak around herself, she glanced up at Lydia, who was standing before her with her fists on her hips as she looked out for Altwen's return, her own cloak flowing freely down her back. Ty'ani sighed, shivering as a gust of wind blew past.

"I don't know how you manage this cold." she moaned.

Lydia glanced over at the small Khajiit, a ghost of a smile appearing on her face. "Because I've lived here in Skyrim since birth. Around these parts, the cold is not a bother."

Ty'ani huffed at that. "Not a bother she says. I'm freezing my tail off in this chill, and I swear my whiskers have completely frozen as well."

Frowning, Lydia crossed her arms. "You know, I would have thought that out of all of the races, the Khajiit would be fine in cold, due to your fur and all."

"That's a common mistake." Ty'ani answered, rubbing her hands together to keep them warm. "But my people hail from the warm sands and forests of Elsweyr. The sun shines hot and the flowers are always in bloom, so the Khajiit's fur have acclimatised to that, therefore it's too thin to ward off any cold."

"Huh." Lydia said.

Before Ty'ani could elaborate further, that was when Altwen returned. The half-elf looked at the two with a smile. "Well, wouldn't you know it," she told them with a shrug. "But there was only two of them out here. I've already taken care of 'em."

Lydia frowned at that as the two stepped over to the woman. "Strange." she commented. "Bandits are usually more paranoid than that."

"Hey I'm not questionin' it." Altwen replied. "It'll make it easier on us if they're disorganised. Come on."

At that, the three trudged up the rest of the pathway, soon finding themselves at the foot of a small campsite. A burning firepit sat on the left, surrounded by barrels and a couple of tables that had a few of boxes on them. Most likely full of provisions. The entrance of the cave was a little further up the hill, bodies of two bandits laying at the foot, each with a single arrow in their throats.

Cautiously, the three edged toward the entrance of the cave, though each step Lydia took resulted with light clunking from her steel armour. In the deafening silence, the noise seemed to be louder than it should be as they each disappeared through the dark gaping hole. Gritting her teeth, Altwen began to become increasingly annoyed with each step the Nord took, hoping that the Housecarl's insistence of wearing heavy armour would not compromise them. She just wished that the woman would at least wear something other than heavy plate, if only for these types of stealth operations.

Once deeper into the cave, Ty'ani's eyesight quickly adjusted to the low light, immediately seeing a table with a lit lantern atop and a chair further in by a small opening. Seated in the chair was a man, his body old and withered and head bald. He turned his head toward them as though he heard a noise, causing all three of them to freeze. In the next second though, Ty'ani instantly noticed his white hooded eyes. He was blind.

"Wha- Who's there?" he yelled out questioningly. "Rodolf? Is that you?"

Ty'ani shot Altwen a worrying look, mouthing the word 'blind' to which she received a nod in reply. Glancing around to inform Lydia as well, that was when she heard rustling sounds coming from the half-elf. Looking back, she spotted that the woman had removed a small blow-pipe. From where, she couldn't say. Bringing it to her lips, Altwen let loose a puff of air, shooting a tiny dart toward the old man, which hit him in the neck. With a grunt, the old man went rigid before slumping forward, his forehead banging on the table's surface.

Eyes wide in shock, Ty'ani snapped her gaze to the huntress with a look of discontent. "Altwen!" she hissed quietly.

In response, Altwen smirked. "Sleepin'." she merely whispered back, with a wink.

Taking the lead, Altwen tip-toed past the now sleeping man, Ty'ani and Lydia behind her, heading deeper into the cavern. Ascending up a set of wooden stairs and through another narrow corridor, they heard low voices echoing through the cave.

"So, you in?" asked one voice, obviously male.

"Yeah." slurred a female voice. "We can't have that blind old fool being our watcher, even if he is Hajvarr's uncle."

"We strike tonight at dusk, be ready."

Well, no wonder these bandits seemed to be disorginised, as there appeared to be a coup in the works. Either way, it would make it easier on the three women.

Narrowing her eyes, Altwen spotted one of the bandits leaning against the wall in front of a fire, just barely seen around the rock face. Taking her blow pipe again, she took out a dart from a pouch in her bandoleer, this one completely black. Loading it in, she brought the pipe up to her lips and took careful aim, puffing a sharp breath which sent the projectile flying. In the next second, the bandit jerked as he slapped a hand on his neck, grasping the dart before bringing it around into his vision. The three saw his eyes widened before he became limp, his legs folding from under him and collapsed face first into the firepit.

The other bandits yelled out in alarm, running toward their slowly burning comrade. While they did so, Ty'ani had already nocked an arrow, pulling back the bow-string once they came into view. She released it, the string snapping against the leather of her bracer, letting the arrow loose. It struck true, burying into the back of the female's head. The force of the impact threw the bandit forward, quite obviously dead as her body crumpled instantly.

The final bandit, quickly surmising where the attack came from, jumped down from the ledge, directly in front of Lydia, who's sword had already been drawn. He had clearly seen the Housecarl, but he barely had any time to react before she struck a devastating lateral blow, gutting across his midsection and spilling his entrails. He crumpled down with a scream of pain, which Lydia silenced by stabbing her sword through his heart. He was dead within moments.

The three then relaxed as they entered the chamber proper. Glancing back at the body they left behind, Altwen let loose a small laugh. "Hey!" she quipped with obvious amusement. "Looks like this guy had no guts after all!"

On her part, Ty'ani was feeling very nauseated with the foul stench of the bandit's innards spilling out, fighting against the urge to gag. As the Khajiit swiftly moved up the ramp, Altwen spoke up again as the two followed behind. "Three down, more to go."

"And Divines only knows how many more there are, so stay on your guard." Lydia advised them, darting forward sharply to grip Ty'ani's shoulder and gently push the girl behind her. A silent reminder for the Khajiit to keep away from the impending danger ahead. Ty'ani sighed as she rubbed her shoulder, since the brunette had pulled her back a bit too hard for her liking, but didn't dare call the Housecarl out on it.

Ascending up the rocky pathways and through halls filled with tables and other furniture, Altwen soon held up an arm while backing into the wall, prompting the other two to do the same. Ty'ani's ears twitched, quickly figuring out why the half-elf had stopped them.

"You think it'll work?" came the voice of a female bandit.

"Course not." growled the voice of an Orc, causing a sense of worry to form in the Khajiit's chest. "Dogs I can train, but a half starved wolf? Not a chance."

They heard a sigh from the woman. "Right, we'll be lucky if it doesn't rip our throats out."

Cocking an interested brow, Altwen peaked round the corner, instantly seeing the two bandits staring at an iron cage door built into the rock. It was a little hard to see, but the distinct growling coming from the alcove indicated that there was indeed a wolf behind that cage. And it seemed angry.

Slipping back, Altwen whipped her head around when she heard Ty'ani gasp when a chain suddenly brushed against her forehead. The white Khajiit immediately grabbed the chain in an attempt to muffle the rattling noise it made in response to the disturbance. Unfortunately though, the sound echoed through the cavern, catching the attention of the bandits. "What was that?" the female questioned.

"Wait here," replied the Orc, followed by an obviously heavy weapon being unsheathed. "I'll go check it out."

The three tensed as the Orc's footsteps padded closer toward them, each readying their weapons. On the other hand, Altwen made a snap decision and grabbed the chain- even though there was no indication of what it would do but she figured at this point, there really wasn't much need to be subtle. She yanked it down, the metal clanging against each other as the mechanism activated. In response, the sound of old hinges scraping together sounded out, followed by a deep growl and swift padding feet. Following that, an angry bark as the previously caged wolf pounced on the female bandit, her sharp cry of surprise and pain clearly distracting the Orc.

As he turned back and sprinted to help his comrade, the three women rounded the corner. Just as he slashed his great sword down on the wolf, that was when Altwen released her arrow. The projectile penetrated deep into the base of his neck, blood spraying out from the front as the arrow had pierced all the way through.

With both the bandits dead on the ground, they were all about to relax until an arrow whizzed past their heads, forcing them to duck down. Reacting instantly, Ty'ani pulled back her arrow and located the enemy in a split second, releasing the projectile. The bandit archer seized up as Ty'ani's arrow struck him directly under his jaw, his body falling forward and off the ledge, thumping down on the ground floor with a sickening sound.

Altwen scanned the upper ledge with her arrow pointed up there, while Ty'ani pulled out another arrow and nocked it and Lydia kept her shield raised. After a few seconds of silence, they surmised that there was no one else around. Lowering their weapons, they let out a sigh each as they moved deeper into the tall and narrow cavern.

As Altwen went to retrieve her arrow from the dead Orc, Ty'ani studied the wolf that was laying prone atop the female bandit. At first glance, it turned out to be a very majestic looking beast, it's thick fur dark grey in colour with a white under belly and brown patterning here and there. It was also quite large, easily covering the dead human beneath it, but from under it's thick coat it seemed very thin. Walking over and kneeling next to it, Ty'ani lightly ran her hand over the wolf's chest, being sure to avoid the large wound on it's flank as well as the clotted blood. She could feel every rib under the pelt, meaning that the poor thing had been starved.

Her ear twitched as Altwen and Lydia stepped toward her, the half-elf kneeling at her side as she too studied the wolf. Looking at her, Ty'ani saw that the huntress had a look of sorrow in her expression. "Poor thing." she muttered. "Such a majestic beast and this right here is the reward it gets for existin'."

Lydia cocked a brow at that. "That's very sentimental, especially coming from a huntress."

"I may hunt these creatures at times," Altwen retaliated, locking a hard glare at the Nord. "But that don't mean I can't appreciate them, all right?"

Ignoring the two of them, Ty'ani studied the wolf some more. The size was quite unusual for these animals, never mind that the coat was far too thick for it to even nest around Whiterun's plains. It seemed like the wolf would be more at home in the northern regions of Skyrim, like the Pale or Winterhold. Clearly someone had captured it and was carting it down south for some reason until the bandits came across it. But if that's the case, then why?

Looking some more, Ty'ani soon figured it out, as the dead wolf's underbelly appeared to be bloated and saggy, indicating that it had recently been pregnant. It was a female and a mother. But where were the pups?

As she was about to point that out however, that was when Altwen spoke up again. "You know, this here ain't just any old wolf. Her coat is far too thick for anythin' round these parts, and she's too big to be an ice wolf."

Frowning herself, Lydia glanced at the half-elf in confusion of that. "Then what is it?" she inquired.

On her part, Altwen had a look of awe steadily emerging on her face, her voice lowering to a whisper. "Gods. I've not seen one of these in such a long time." she gave the Nord and Khajiit a look each, seeing the confusion in their expressions she soon replied. "She's a dire wolf."

Ty'ani's frown deepened at that. "A dire wolf? What's a dire wolf?"

Inhaling a breath as she glanced back at the dead dire wolf, Altwen explained. "Dire wolves are just like normal wolves Kitten, 'cept their bigger, stronger and faster. Hella more scary too. In fact, they were so aggressive that many people used to hunt them on principle, 'cus they never hesitated to attack caravans and villages. The last time I saw one was near Bruma more than two-hundred years ago, where they were all hunted down to extinction." shaking her head as she rose back to her feet, the huntress crossed her arms. "Clearly some survived to this day."

Standing herself, Ty'ani nodded in understanding. "Maybe that's why she'd been taken-" she mused.

"Aye." Altwen agreed. "'Cus she's exotic and clearly havin' just given birth. Someone musta paid a lot of Septims for this momma and her pups."

"Then maybe the pups may still be alive." Lydia pointed out.

Altwen shook her head at that. "I doubt it. This old girl was clearly on her last legs and couldn't produce enough milk for the pups, so it's likely they're all dead by now."

"Maybe we should check," Ty'ani offered, looking toward the alcove in the rock face before them. "Just in case?"

Both the Nord and the half-elf agreed, each of them stepping toward the cage carefully, in case there were some puppies still alive and they won't startle them. With Altwen at the head, the huntress took off the torch she had strapped to her backpack, lighting it with a few flicks of a flint and steel. With the torch now burning with a healthy flame, she raised it up to illuminate the alcove.

What was seen inside broke Ty'ani's heart.

Laying in a dug out pit in the back corner of the alcove were the bodies of three tiny wolf pups, each one about half Ty'ani's arm length. However, there was no indication that any of them were alive. No clumsy movements or twitches, no cute little whimpers or cries. They were all deathly still.

Seeing the tiny pups dead bodies caused tears to well up in the corners of Ty'ani's eyes. To her, it didn't matter that they were dire wolves that wouldn't think twice about ripping her throat out, they were still babies that never got a chance at life.

Altwen lowered the torch slightly, shaking her head. "See," she told them. "Told you they'd be dead."

"Those poor things." Ty'ani breathed, clearly upset.

Altwen shrugged her shoulders at that, about to say something more when she suddenly paused, jerking her head to the side. Perplexed, Lydia stared at the woman with a frown. "What? What is it?" she asked, suddenly on alert.

"Shh." Altwen hissed sharply, raising a finger to her lips in a symbol of silence.

Ty'ani was also just as bemused at Altwen's behaviour as her Housecarl was, though when all went silent it didn't take her long to find out why. Over the sound of the crackling fire of the torch, the Khajiit's sensitive ears picked up the faint sound of a high pitched whimpering. Straightening her back, Ty'ani watched as Altwen stepped to the side of the makeshift nest, placing her torch down on the ground in front of it before beginning to rummage around in a hole located at the back.

She squinted one eye closed, her nose wrinkling in concentration as she searched. Before long, the half-elf soon pulled her hand out. Grasped in a fist by the scruff of it's neck was a wolf puppy, and it was still alive. Bemused, Altwen leant back as she held the pup at arm's length, watching as it's tiny paw patted on her forearm as it whimpered, it's eyes blinking against the torch light.

The puppy was very cute to say the least, it's grey fur was unkempt but very fluffy. But as Altwen studied it some more, she had noticed that the pup's pelt was actually white, it was just very dirty. Baby blue eyes sparkled as it glanced around while it's tiny black nose twitched, quite clearly interested in what was around it. It then opened it's mouth wide in a yawn only for it to slump in Altwen's grasp, it's eyes blinking closed in exhaustion.

Watching the pup with sympathy, the half-elf huntress shook her head before turning her gaze to the others. "Damn." she sighed. "This little one'll not survive for very long without it's mother. It'd be kinder if I put it outta it's misery now. Poor little orphan."

As Altwen lowered the small puppy to the ground, that was when Ty'ani jerked up to her feet, raising her voice to the woman. "No, stop! You can't do that!"

Sighing dejectedly, Altwen stared the girl in the eye as she replied. "There's not much choice Kitten. Without it's mother, this little one will die slowly and painfully. It's better if I give it a quick death."

"No!" Ty'ani cried, darting over to Altwen's side and grabbing her forearm, forcing her hand off the tiny wolf pup. "It's only a baby! It deserves a chance to live a life!"

"What would you have me do?!" Altwen yelled back, though her tone held a hint of disdain at what she had to do. "It's mother's milk is the only thing that will keep it alive! You cannot give it cows milk, you cannot give it meat! There's no other choice, Ty'ani, I have to do this. If you don't want to watch this, then step outta here and I'll call you when it's done."

In response, Ty'ani's sapphire eyes narrowed dangerously, her ears flattened against her skull and her tail swishing sharply. Unconsciously, her claws dug into the leather of Altwen's gauntlet, the armour protesting as deep marks were gauged into the surface, but the half-elf only felt the increase of pressure. Ty'ani's words dripped with contempt as she responded. "There's always another way." she hissed. "I would have thought you of all people would know about the Milk of Life."

As Altwen's forest eyes widened, Ty'ani's memories had race back to her childhood against her will. Of when she was a very young orphan in Elsweyr, the carers making and feeding her the special milk until her third year. Holding her breath as she pushed the memory away, as it was quite painful to think about, she glared at the half-elf before her and watched the woman's expression change.

During that exchange, Lydia had been watching and listening to the two of them with increasing bewilderment. Cocking a brow, she spoke up with a questioning tone. "What is the Milk of Life?" she asked.

Blinking, Altwen cleared her throat as she slowly glanced to the Nord. "It's erm..." she stuttered. "It's somethin' that I had completely forgotten about. Somethin' I didn't realise the Khajiit still practise."

"And that would be...?" Lydia hinted.

"It's a specialised milk that's used as substitute for breast milk." the huntress explained before glancing at Ty'ani. "I didn't think that you knew about that."

"Of course I do. Because I grew up without parents." Ty'ani replied, a undertone of pain in her voice. She looked down to the tiny dire wolf pup on the ground then, her expression softening. "I'll raise the pup myself, since we both have something in common."

Blinking in surprise, both Lydia and Altwen stared at the girl for a while. It was clear the both of them had no idea what to say to her, but in the end, Altwen let slip a smile, shaking her head. "Fair enough." she whispered, picking the pup up and gently depositing it into the girl's arms. "But understand, if anythin' goes wrong..."

"It won't." Ty'ani interrupted, promise in her tone as she cradled the small wolf to her chest, feeling it wriggle weakly in her grasp.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoO

After that, it didn't take the three of them long to find Hajvarr and pull out of the cave. Since Ty'ani was caring for the pup, Lydia and Altwen went ahead to find the bandit leader. Upon finding him at the cave's watch point, he turned out to be quite the brute of a man, clad in heavy iron armour. It was quite the fight up on the enclosed summit, as well as the fact that he was more well trained than the two had expected, but between them he soon fell.

It had turned out that the proof they needed for the Jarl happened to be on Hajvarr's person, in the form of a pair of well crafted but aged steel gauntlets. They were of a unique design, with the crest of the Iron-Hand's branded upon the metal. Altwen pointed out, after jolting her memory, that the Iron-Hands were an old clan of metal smiths that dated back for centuries. Therefore, this family heirloom would be more than enough to convince the Jarl that they had done the deed.

Proof in hand, the women exited out through the cave and back onto the White River road toward Whiterun's entrance.

Once by the outer wall, Ty'ani had spotted that Ri'saad's caravan was still there, which she found both relieving and worrying. The caravans tended to stay camped outside of a city for at least a maximum of three days. Why his caravan was still here was hard to tell, but it was a blessing all at once. They would have exactly the ingredients that she would need for the pup wrapped in a spare cloak in her arms.

Jogging ahead of Altwen and Lydia, Ty'ani swiftly integrated with the camp, seeing Ri'saad spot her instantly. The older Khajiit male stood from the tent, walking over to her. "Ty'ani?" he inquired in their native tongue. "You seem to be in quite the rush, what troubles you?" Ty'ani said nothing in response as she stopped before him, only pulling back the material that protected the dire wolf pup, revealing it to him. His amber eyes widened. "Ah, I see." he nodded, gesturing her to the tent. "This way. Atahbah, hurry and make Milk of Life, we have an orphaned wolf!"

The brown furred woman glanced over briefly with a look of confusion, but didn't argue with the elder as she rushed to gather the ingredients from the carriage. The other Khajiit male, Ma'randru-jo, didn't hesitate in helping her, quickly gathering up their cooking supplies and hung the pot over the fire.

Lydia and Altwen caught up with Ty'ani as she crawled into the tent, the pup hugged protectively against her breast. Inside, it didn't take Ty'ani long to spot another body within, her form thoroughly wrapped in a bedroll with extra blankets. It was the caravan guard, Khayla. Looking her over briefly, the white Khajiit girl noticed that the woman's skin under her fur was quite pale, and her eyes had bags under them.

Concerned, Ty'ani glanced over at Ri'saad as he arranged some blankets on the ground. "Is Khayla unwell?"

Glancing back at her, the elder Khajiit nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so." he replied as he finished arranging the blankets. "This winter has gotten the best of her and she has caught a fever. That is why we still remain. But there isn't a lot that we can do for her, apart from feeding her warm soups. There, put the pup in here." he gestured to the little nest before him, allowing the younger Khajiit to shuffle over and place the pup down, being sure to keep the cloak wrapped around it.

Studying the tiny wolf with soft eyes, Ri'saad spoke as he lightly stroked it's head with one finger. "Where ever did you find this pup?"

"In a cave filled with bandits." she answered. "It's mother was dead, and I just couldn't leave it there. I decided to take it with me and look after it myself."

The elder Khajiit merchant turned his gaze to her with approval in his eyes, a smile forming. "Ah, that heart of yours. One would never guess your history with your kindness."

Ty'ani's eyes went downcast at that, a sad smile on her face. Before long, she turned away to glance at her two companions waiting outside the tent entrance. Reverting back to the Common tongue, she spoke up to them. "Why don't you two go ahead and wait inside the city? You can get the bounty from the Jarl if you want to."

"You gonna be stayin' here Kitten?" Altwen asked, to which the white Khajiit nodded.

"Yes, I just want to make sure the puppy is okay."

Lydia pursed her lips at that. "Well, as long as you're sure."

Again, Ty'ani nodded. "Yes. Nothing will happen so long as I'm here, so you can go into the city if you want to Lydia."

Sighing, the brunette Nord relented as she straightened. "As you wish, my Thane." at that, she turned on her heel and strode off toward the city entrance. Altwen gave her a quick smile before pivoting around and darting after the Housecarl.

As they left, Ri'saad gave Ty'ani a look. "Thane?" he questioned.

Suddenly feeling awkward, Ty'ani bit her lip but she inclined her head in a positive. "Apparently," she began. "The Jarl of Whiterun thought it fitting if he made me Thane of the city. I honestly don't know what possessed him to do that, but there it is."

"There has to be some reason." the old Khajiit probed.

Sighing, Ty'ani stared Ri'saad in the eye as she explained. "Listen, what I'm about to tell you should stay between all of you. The last thing I want is for this to get out sooner than I'd like." at his nod, Ty'ani let out a breath as she steeled herself. "All right, the Jarl made me Thane because I killed a dragon a while back and was revealed to be Dragonborn."

Ri'saad's amber eyes widened at that. "Dragonborn?" he echoed, clearly surprised. "I'd heard the Nords speaking of the Dragonborn's return, but I never believed it. Never mind that it would be one of our kind."

"Believe me," Ty'ani shook her head as her gaze turned down. "I'm just as surprised as you are."

On his part, Ri'saad smiled at her, pride in his expression. "You know that this means that you are the beacon of hope for our kind now. I knew you were always special Ty'ani, but this..."

Ty'ani frowned at that, snapping her sapphire orbs back on the older Khajiit man. "Huh? What do you mean 'you knew I was always special'?"

To her surprise and confusion, Ri'saad paused at that, his eyes widening in, what was quite clearly, shock and uncertainty. She could see that he was fighting with himself on what he could reply with. However, it was at that point that Atahbah ducked into the tent, placing down a pot filled with a warm white liquid. Taking advantage of her arrival, Ri'saad spoke up. "Ah, good. Now let us feed this poor infant."

Ty'ani watched as he went rummaging around the tent's supplies, soon finding a pair of leather gloves. Dropping one down, he opened the other and grabbed the ladle sitting in the milk, pouring it into the glove. Ty'ani watched in fascination as the glove ballooned with each ladleful. Soon enough, Ri'saad placed the ladle back into the pot and twisted the opening of the glove to seal it. Atahbah then shuffled forward, a needle in hand, and pierced the tip of one of the fingers. The male Khajiit then gathered up the pup and placed it into Ty'ani's arms.

"Here," he told her, laying the exhausted pup on it's back. "As you are taking care of it, you should feed it. It shall form a bond with you should you continuously handle it." at that, he handed her the milk filled glove too once the puppy was comfortable.

Inhaling a shuddering breath, as though she feared that she will do something wrong, Ty'ani manoeuvred the pierced finger to the wolf's mouth, rubbing it around as she attempted to coax it to latch on. For a few tense moments, the pup made no move to grab hold of the glove, even as milk smeared all along it's jaw. Growing increasingly worried, Ty'ani persisted, hoping with all her soul that the puppy hadn't died while they weren't looking.

Thankfully, after a few tense seconds, the puppy shifted with a cute whimper, opening it's mouth and latching onto the glove finger and began to suckle. Ty'ani let out a sigh of relief at that, feeling a great weight lift off her chest.

As she hugged the feeding wolf a little closer, Ri'saad smiled with a satisfied nod. "Well done. I'm sure you will do well training this young one." glancing behind Ty'ani to the woman still knelt at the tent entrance, he spoke again. "Atahbah, gather up the ingredients for Ty'ani. Enough to last until our next visit."

"Of course."Atahbah acknowledged, shuffling out of the tent and onto her feet, heading toward the carriage to do as she was asked.

On her part, Ty'ani gave Ri'saad a grateful smile. "A thousand thanks to you Ri'saad." she said. "How much do I owe you for this?"

In turn, Ri'saad shook his head. "Nothing." he told her. "You are in greater need of those ingredients than we are. Consider this a gift for all you have done for us."

Ty'ani cocked a suspicious brow at that, having the feeling that there was another reason for why he was doing this. Either way, Ty'ani couldn't walk away without giving them payment of some sort. As she looked over toward Khayla's prone form, that was when she got an idea as she glanced back to Ri'saad. "You should know me by now," she told him. "I won't take that for an answer. So how about I go see if I can convince the priests in the temple to come out here and see to Khayla? That way, she can get better and you can move on sooner."

The old merchant's eyes widened at that. "You could do that?"

Ty'ani shrugged. "I am Thane and the Dragonborn, so maybe they'll listen to me."

Ri'saad's smile widened at her words, clearly humbled by her kindness. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he squeezed it softly. "Thank you, that would mean a great deal to us."

Ty'ani smiled back, wanting to grip his wrist in return but the wolf pup and the milk filled glove got in the way of that. So she instead settled for shrugging her shoulder and tilting her head, rubbing her cheek against his knuckles in a friendly manner.

As she looked down at the puppy, she noticed that it had already drank more than half of the contents of the glove. Poor thing must have been really hungry, making her wonder just how long it had gone without it's mother's milk. As that thought crossed her mind, that was when Atahbah returned, a full satchel over her shoulder which she placed down next to the younger female. "There you are Ty'ani." she said with a smile. Kneeling down fully next to her, the brown furred woman glanced at the dire wolf pup, a warm expression on her face as she watched it drink up the milk. "Do you know what gender it is?" she asked after a moment of silence.

Frowning as she bit her lip, Ty'ani shook her head. "No, I didn't check." she admitted. Being careful not to dislodge the glove from it's mouth, Ty'ani bunched up the cloak with one hand, revealing the pup's body. Giving it a quick study, she nodded as she recovered it. "It's a female." she told them.

"And what will you name her?" Ri'saad asked.

The girl paused at that, pursing and nibbling her lips in thought. She didn't have any clue at all. Looking at her, she supposed she could give the pup a name that would correlate with her looks. Either her snowy pelt or her light blue eyes. She quickly dismissed that though, thinking it would be too silly. It was then that she got an idea, as the thought of the friendship that will form between them came to the forefront of her mind. She decided to name her something that represented that. "Ar'jenn." she decided.

Ri'saad nodded his head in approval. "'Friendship'." he observed, translating the meaning of the name. "Very fitting."

Smile widening, Ty'ani glanced back down at Ar'jenn, feeling her heart swell with emotion. It is uncertain what the future would hold, but at least she could be content in the knowledge that she had just saved a life this day. A good feeling to be sure.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The darkness covered the entirety of the tomb, giving the place an incredibly bone-chilling feeling. Only a single beam of light illuminated the underground Nordic cavern, as well as the numerous candles dotted around the corners of the alcoves. Even then, the atmosphere was still very much foreboding to any that was unfortunate enough to wonder inside, as the light shone down on an altar that stood menacingly in the centre of an incline.

The altar was of Molag Bal, the Daedric Prince of domination and enslavement. It seemed to be glaring at any whom happened to pass, the demonic eyes red and unnerving. From the open maw of the statue, blood cascaded into a large stone basin, the sanguine life force rippling due to how thick it was, giving the illusion that it was folding over itself. The occasional drops of blood dripped to the ancient stonework below, integrating in the cracks and permanently staining it. It was a fairly gruesome sight.

Crouched before the altar however, with one knee on the floor and an arm resting on the other, was a woman. She was clad in a plain black leather bodice, with a red long sleeved shirt beneath and a black hooded cape. She also wore thick black leggings and boots with metal toe-caps. Currently, her hood was pooled over her shoulders like a scarf, which allowed her long ebony hair to flow freely down her back. Her skin was dark, indicating that she was a Redguard, with a stark white skull painted on her face. Buckled to her belt was a beautiful katana, the pommel of the hilt inlaid with gold patterns, as was the sheath.

She had her eyes closed as she knelt before the disturbing display of the shrine, not at all bothered by the sight in the slightest. But soon enough, her peace was soon interrupted by the sound of soft footsteps. Such a noise would usually be missed by any other person, but this woman was far from being any normal being. Her eyes immediately snapped open, the orbs glowing unnaturally bright as her sight adjusted to the light, since her vision had been hidden behind her lids for a while. Soon enough, the glow dimmed, revealing a pair of caramel brown eyes.

She was clearly a vampire.

Raising her head slightly, the Redguard woman slowly inclined her head to the side, a sly smile forming on her full lips. "I hear you, lurking in the shadows. Come out of hiding."

Turning fully, the Redguard watched as another woman padded round the corner, standing at the bottom of the short stairway as she placed her hands on her hips. She was a Nord, clad in a more luxuriant bodice than her Redguard counterpart, with hints of metal armour integrated in with the leather, giving her more protection. On her hip was a golden elven dagger which hung from the elaborate belt around her waist. She had deathly pale skin with very fine patterning of blue veins around her jawline, which would be easily missed unless one was looking closely. Her eyes were a dull mahogany colour, with little flecks of gold which made the orbs glow slightly, and she also possessed shoulder length black hair which was tastefully braided around the crown.

The Nord vampire gave the Redguard a half smile. "Senynda. You were missed at the banquet." she commented casually. In response, Senynda snorted as she smoothly rose from her knelt position.

"Of course, Serana." she remarked. "When Orthjolf and Vingalmo persist in annoying me with their petty rivalry, it is better for the both of them if I remove myself from their presence. Worry not however, I will induldge myself later."

Serana shook her head as the Redguard woman stepped down the stairs to her. "You may have everyone else fooled, but I know better. I know that you compete for the throne just as much as they do. You have done well to hide your intentions, but you'll soon find yourself on the wrong side of both Orthjolf and Vingalmo should they catch wind of it."

"I shall loose no sleep on that prospect, they already are on the wrong side of me." as Serana shook her head again, she continued. "Come now young royal, you know that you did not come here to speak politics with me."

"Indeed not." the pale Nord replied, not at all surprised by the woman's perceptiveness. "My father, your lord, will soon be summoning the court in the main chamber, but he first wishes to speak with you."

Senynda's eyes narrowed at that, her lips pursing. "Sounds important." she commented. "I have best not keep him waiting then."

Serana's expression remained passive as the woman brushed past her. "No, you shouldn't."

Leaving Serana to follow behind at her own pace, Senynda walked through the catacomb which housed numerous coffins for all the vampires within, making her way through a door on the opposite end. She trekked through a tunnel before finally making it to the main chamber, of which stretched high above her head in a dome. Stalactites pointed menacingly down toward the bottom, as though they threatened to loosen at any given moment. Before her were two long dining tables that stretched the length of the cavern, each filled to the brim with plates, platters and goblets- none of which were silver as vampires were vulnerable to the metal- as well as the occasional barrel. All of which were stained with blood.

Sitting at the tables were more than a dozen vampires, each either drinking from their goblets or manhandling helpless victims, their faces buried in their throats. It was a fairly common sight of the vampires of the Volkihar clan, the only difference being that they no longer resided in Castle Volkihar, thanks to the rement of the accursed Dawnguard.

The invasion was an obvious sign of desperation on the hunters part, a response to their attack of their fort and the death of their leaders, but it was a devastating one to their clan as the castle had been torn down. The vast majority of the Dawnguard had been killed of course, but the rest had fled. As a result, the clan could not return to the castle, as that would invite another attack. Instead, the clan needed to replenish their numbers and remain hidden away before they could return, since their plans could not be compromised at this time.

Sidling past the feasting vampires, Senynda continued on past the chamber toward the back, where the lord of the clan was residing. Stepping through the iron door, the Redguard vampire soon found herself in a reasonably sized room, of which had been moderately decorated to accommodate the royal within. Sitting in front of a makeshift firepit was an intimidating Nord man. He was clad in striking leather inlaid with metal armour and heavy elaborate shoulder guards, as well as a pair of embroidered gauntlets, black leggings and black boots with metal toe-caps. His black hair was combed back into a low pony-tail and his beard neatly trimmed.

As Senynda approached, he slowly turned his head toward her, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "Ah," he exclaimed as he straightened in his chair. "Senynda, you are here. Good."

Bowing her head in respect, Senynda immediately spoke. "You wished to speak with me, my lord Harkon?"

"Yes, I did." he confirmed as he rose from his seat, standing over the woman as he folded his hands behind his back. "When I told you that I was grateful for my daughter's safe return, I told the truth. But I did not tell you everything."

Straightening from her bow, Senynda locked her gazes with Harkon as she let out a silent sigh. "I had suspected as much." she told him truthfully.

Harkon let slip a half smile at her honesty. "Good." he praised. "Strong instincts and a cunning mind will serve you as well as a blade, spell or claw." he began to pace as he spoke. "As you know, vampires are powerful, but we have our limits. Our greatest enemy is the sun, and until recently it is an enemy we had no way to fight. For centuries I searched for an answer to this problem. I found an old prophecy written by a Moth Priest, those scholars who read the Elder Scrolls. The prophecy tells of a time in which vampires will gain power over the sun, and will no longer fear its tyranny. I believe the secret to unravelling that prophecy is written in Serana's Elder Scroll."

At that he paused in his pacing, glancing at Senynda whom was listening intently. Crossing his arms, he continued. "I have ordered the court to assemble. I have a new task for us all to carry out, and that includes you. Come now, and hear my proclamations." beckoning to her to follow him, he exited the room.

Harkon, with Senynda close behind, walked back to the main chamber. They both climbed a set of stairs that lead above the dining tables, where an ancient throne sat. Harkon stood before the chair while Senynda stood at the side, spying Serana on the other side. The male Nord vampire raised his arms wide as he addressed the court.

"Scions of the night! Hear my words!" he called, bringing all eyes to him as the chamber grew silent, eager to listen to what their lord had to say. "The prophesied time is at last upon us. Soon we will claim dominion over the sun itself, and forge a new realm of eternal darkness. Now that I have reclaimed one of my Elder Scrolls, we must find a Moth Priest to read it. I have spread false rumours about the discovery of an Elder Scroll in Skyrim to lure a Moth Priest here."

He stepped down from the perch a couple times, raising his voice more. "Now it is time to see if those efforts have borne fruit. Go forth, and search the land for rumours of a Moth Priest within our borders. Look to the cities. Speak to Inn keepers, carriage drivers, anyone who would speak to a traveller. Go now, and carry out this task. This is my command!"

The moment Harkon ceased speaking, the chamber became abuzz with activity as the court departed to prepare themselves for their task. Senynda and Serana stepped down from the podium, the Nord woman placing a hand on the Redguard's shoulder. "So, any idea how you're going to find a Moth Priest? Skyrim's a pretty big place."

Furrowing her brows in thought as she played with a lock of her hair, Senynda replied. "Hard to say, Moth Priests truly are a fairly perplexing lot. What would you suggest?"

"Well," Serana began as she place a hand on her hip. "Back before I... you know. The College of Winterhold was the first place I'd think to go for any kind of magic or historical thing. The wizards know about all kinds of things that people probably shouldn't know about." it was then that she pursed her lips, looking Senynda in the eye. "Actually, now that I think of it... I'm going to come along with you. After what happened at the castle, I've been really wanting to get out and explore a bit."

Smiling in understanding, the Redguard vampire nodded. "Very well." she said in her honey smooth voice, beginning to march out of the vast chamber. "Come along then, we are just wasting time standing here and debating. Let us gather our provisions and go."