Chapter 6:
Siris woke up in the morning. He saw he was in the guest room. Someone must`ve carried him there.
- I wonder who it was. – he said, rubbing his forehead. The mead had probably gone to his head again. – Damn Helgen and their sweet mead.
He laughed at his own joke. He quickly kicked the blanket out of his body and proceeded to dress himself. However, he was already dressed. He started to look for his Dai-Katana. As he was done doing so, he heard footsteps coming in his direction. He turned to the door as Dila entered the small room.
- Good morning, Siris. – she said, a smile on her lips.
- Morning, Dila. Did you enjoy your tour of the city, yesterday?
- Yes, sure. But it was… enlightening.
- What do you mean? – Siris said, intrigued.
- Irileth explained to me what they call the Civil War.
- You didn`t knew about it? – Siris was surprised. For someone who walked across the whole land, she surely was misinformed.
Dila stopped. She wasn`t sure about how to continue. She had rehearsed what she would be saying, but Siris`s comment threw her of. How she would continue was a mystery for her.
- Yes, she explained it to me while you were here getting drunk. – she said, changing to a defensive tone.
Siris held his hands up. What did he say that time?
- Wait a second. – Siris said. – Did you carry me over to my room?
Dila was struck again. He surely knew how to keep her off balance. Siris let out a small laugh and said:
- Well, now I guess we are even.
She chuckled at the joke.
- I guess.
- Anyway, what were you saying?
- I decided I will be staying at Solitude. I`m going to join the Legion.
This time, it was Siris that was thrown off of balance. That meek little cat was really radical when it came to battle and Nords.
- That is good. So, you`ll stay at Solitude whatever the content of the letter is?
- Yes. It`s time I have my revenge. – she said, eyes slit.
"What startled her this time?"Siris thought, but soon his thoughts derailed. "Even slit, her eyes are really pretty."
- So, if I have to go to Windhelm and join Ulfric Stormcloak, you will still stay in Solitude?
That caught Dila by surprise. She hadn`t thought about that.
- Yes. – she said, and she barely even recognized her voice as she said that.
- Oh. Okay then.
Siris silently walked past her.
"Well, I guess it`s over, then." he thought, in his mind. "Briar is surely going to offer her support to Ulfric. She never really did like the Beast races. Besides, what would she gain as a member of the Legion? She was always friends with Ulfric."
Siris took an apple of the table. The Jarl`s staff was already up, so he asked a guard:
- Where is my Sword?
- I didn`t see it anywhere, Siris. – the guard said. – Maybe the Jarl has.
Siris found the situation peculiar. He never got separated from his sword. He owed his kill count to that sword. Siris went to Balgruuf, who was upstairs, reading a map. The map was riddled with flags, some with the Stormcloak Bear of Windhelm , others with the Imperial Wolf of Solitude. The map seemed in perfect balance by now. -
- Good morning, Siris. – the Jarl said, lifting his tired gaze from the maps. – I was just seeing how the Dragonborn`s truce was going.
- I guess he was really fair. The map is perfectly balanced. One more reason you should choose. Anyway, did you see my sword?
- That old piece of trash? – Balgruuf said, amused. – I didn`t see it anywhere. Why?
- I can`t find it…
Siris was beginning to get worried. His sword was one of the few things he treasured, if not the only thing he treasured. Losing his sword would be like losing an old friend…
- You mean this sword?
Siris turned around, only to find Dila standing behind him, holding the sword in it`s scabbard. Siris reached for her, but Dila graciously danced out of the way.
- Wait! You might break it!
- Oh, the mighty Siris, the prime warrior of the Argonian race, is afraid he might lose his sword! – Dila said, before laughing and running down the stairs, with Siris hot on persuit.
As they passed through the door, Siris noticed how early it was. The sun was still shinning with a an orange color, instead of the blazing yellow of midday. Dila ran fast, laughing joyously as she did. When she reached a small garden on the backyard of the Jarl`s mannor, Siris tackled her. They rolled on the floor a couple of meters. On the end, they were both laughing. Siris was lying on top of her, and the sword had dropped to her side. Dila`s legs were by his side. As they stopped laughing, Siris noticed how close their mouths were, barley a few centimeters from each other. They stared at each other`s eyes, green meeting green.
Siris watched her closely. Her mouth was a bit open, and he noticed how heavy and rhythmic her breathing was.
He got up, picking his sword up. She sat up.
- Well, I guess we`ll be going then. – she said, regaining her breath.
- Yeah. Let me just speak to Balgruuf. Then we can head to Solitude.
00000
They were on their way. Not by foot by foot this time, though. Balgruuf had insisted them both to go by carriage. Siris doze of in the middle of the way to Solitude. Dila was well awake the whole way. They had been so close that morning. She`d looked into Siris`s eyes, more deeply than she`d ever had.
She observed his sleeping form as the carriage slowly went up the way to Solitude. His chest expanding and contracting, his arms closed on his sword, his head gently rocking to the carriage`s vibrations as they passed a rocky part of the road.
And the thought of separating herself from him seemed darker than it should be. She grasped her amulet of Dibella. The purple colors usually soothed her when she was in time of crisis. She wasn`t in crisis at the moment. And yet, why did she felt as if the amulet was soothing her? She remembered of the time when she got the amulet. It had been a long time ago.
" – What did you get this time, Dila?
- I got this beautifull amulet. You wouldn`t believe it, Marash. Someone just left it lying there, out in the open.
The two of them were in a small house, on the outskirts of Dune. It was an unforgiving city.
- You know, Dila? – Dro`Marash had began. – We have to get out of here. We are merely fifteen years old, but we are not going to advance any further in the Hyerarchy if we stay in Elsweyr.
- You are right. But where should we go?
- Dro whipped out a map. In the middle, written in big letters, was written: Skyrim…"
- Dila? – she heard Siris`s voice. – Wake up.
- Uh… what happened?
- You slept. We are arriving, sleepyhead.
It was true. The stone portals of Solitude stood high in front of her, higher than any other she`d ever seen. Siris went down first and helped her down. The Argonian held her hands a second too long before quickly drawing his hand in his pocket. The gates opened and they entered.
An execution was going on.
A Stromcloak sympathizer was with his head on the chopping block. He was screaming something about going to Sovngarde, and that his ancestors were smilling upon him. Dila was morbidly fascinated by the show. But when the executioner raised his axe and brought it down to the prisioner`s neck, she buried her head in Siris`s shoulder.
- Afraid?
- No. This doesn`t seem fair. He can`t defend himself.
- War is never fair. – Siris said, before hauling her along the main street. – Come on. We have to go to Castle Dour.
In truth, she wasn`t afraid of the execution, nor she thought it was unfair to have the Nord`s head rolling in the floor.
She was afraid of the letter, and the fact that she would have to kill Siris, depending on what was written in it.
00000
Siris and Dila went up the stairs, as slowly as they could. Siris`s hand was tingling. He was counting all guards and all windows, trying to find an escape route. He could take any guard in the fortress, but Dila…
They arrived at the top of the fortress. A guard was standing outside a door.
- What is your business here, lizard?
- Slow down on the slurs. I`m here in peace. I have a message to General Tulius. – Siris got closer to the guard and purposely lowering his voice. – I don`t think you`d like Maven Black-Briar to wait, would you?
The guard gulped and let Siris pass.
- It`s good to see someone still has his priorities straight.
Dila chuckled at the joke and the air lightened a bit. Siris`s laugh also made her relax. If they were to be separated, she would have at least listened to it one last time.
Tulius was pacing nervously up and down the room, his gold-red armor shining in the lights of the small room. The same map that Siris had seen in Dragonsreach was open in the center of the table. The only difference was the rather big knife stuck on Windhelm. Tulius stopped whatever he was doing to look at Dila and Siris. They both felt diminished by the general`s gaze. He stood there, observing them both for a minute.
Siris began to talk.
- It seems that even in a period of truce, the General still can`t get his head out of the war.
- These are hard times, Argonian. We must take every opportunity we got to defeat the Stormcloaks. And who would you two be?
- I am Siris of Black Marsh.
- And I am Dila of Elsweyr.
- I guess you already know who I am. So… - he said, sitting down. – What can I do for you.
Siris nervously reached for the letter in his pocket. His hands were shaking.
"I have to keep calm."
- I… I…
- I wish to join the Legion. – Dila barged in. Siris thanked her for the interruption.
The General eyed her with curiosity. He pondered a bit and said:
- And what good would I do to the Legion by accepting it?
- You could… What would you…
- You would be loosing the best archer in all of Skyrim. – were the words that exited Siris`s mouth. Dila turned to him. Even though her mouth didn`t even move, her eyes said "Thank you"
The general raised his eyebrows in amusement.
- Well, that remains to be seen. Welcome to the Legion, Dila from Elsweyr.
Dila released a breath of relief. Siris was happy for her. Now she would be able to exact her revenge.
- What about you, Siris from Black Marsh?
- I am a messenger for Black-Briar. – Siris said. The general `s posture straightened and he was suddenly very interested in what would follow. – I believe she is taking sides.
Siris took out the note from his pocket. The seal had not been damaged, and the letter was intact. Siris nervously handed it to Tulius, who then opened it and was about to read it. He suddenly stopped.
- What will happen to you if Black-Briar has chosen the Stormcloacks over the Legion?
Siris hadn't even had the courage to answer that question. He stumbled a little before saying:
- In that case, I would request that you would let me go peacefully, as I am merely a messanger.
Dila visibly shuddered at the thought. The general changed his gaze to the letter and started reading it.
"What is taking you so long?" Siris thought, worried.
Then the General smiled:
- I am happy to announce that that won`t be the case. Black-Briar has given her full support for us. Welcome to the Legion, Siris of Black Marsh