Hot!
"Incredible, isn't it? I'd read about unicorns in stories, but… They were always white, to my knowledge." Aendal's sudden, rather noisy observation coming from a few feet away began to bring Twilight back to consciousness, the blackness of sleep peeling away from the edges of her mind.
"Yeah, and they were s'posed t'be bigger, too, weren't they? This thing's only about six hands high." The deep rumble of the man's voice could only have been Urgak, the green creature she'd saved earlier. How did she go about doing that?
As the fuzziness began to fade from her thoughts, Twilight's memories of the day's events slowly returned to her: wading through the horrors of the burnt-out town, getting captured by bandits, and witnessing the bandits get ambushed and slaughtered by the men who were, apparently, only a few feet away from her. Finally, the memory of the fight between Urgak and Grolag floated to the top of her thoughts – and how she'd saved the green-skinned man. The recollection of using her magic to bury an axe in the bandit's throat revolted the unicorn pony, shaking her to her very core and causing her to curl up into a ball, shuddering and beginning to sob. Despite how horrid he might've been, she took away Grolag's life – nopony deserved that. Not even a murderous bandit that wanted to eat her.
Aendal had been sitting on her right, a foot or two away from her, sharpening his arrows with a small whetstone while he spoke, but his attentions were now focused entirely on Twilight. "And I certainly hadn't heard of one speaking, before. Or crying, for that matter." He reached over, gently placing a gloved hand on Twilight's back. "Hey… What's wrong? You're safe now, so there's no need for… Well, this."
Twilight finally opened her eyes, looking up at Aendal when he put his hand on her back, tears streaming down her cheeks. "B-but… But I killed him… That man, with the axe… R-right to his, n-neck…" She began sobbing again, burying her face in her forelegs.
Urgak rolled his eyes, standing from his log seat and crossing his arms over his chest, his booming voice's tone harsh and unforgiving. "Oh, for Malacath's sake – that's all that's botherin' you? Pathetic." The large man walked over to Twilight's side, kneeling down and placing a massive hand atop her head. "If you hadn't killed that worthless maggot, I'd be a very dead Orc. Consider that before you start sobbin' your damn head off."
The unicorn's sobbing slowed as she looked up to the Orc, tears glistening in her eyes. "I…" Twilight sniffled, sitting up on her haunches and wiping a tear from her eye with her cloak. "Y-you're right. You guys saved my life - only fair that I should repay the debt, right?" She gave Urgak a weak smile, getting up to her hooves and looking around. They were all sitting around a rather large bonfire in the middle of a field, a starry night sky stretching out over them, a light dusting of clouds blocking the moon every few minutes. "How long was I out?"
The archer sat back down on his rock, sharpening the edges of his arrowheads. "I'd say about half a day's time. You really wore yourself out." He only glanced up for a moment, before returning his arrows to the quiver on his back. "So, what's your name, Unicorn?"
Twilight smiled up at Aendal, glad to know that he at least cared enough to ask her name. "Twilight Sparkle. What're your names?" Her gaze drifted from Aendal to Urgak, and her head canted to the side in confusion. "Weren't there three of you, earlier?"
"Haran's out huntin' – he'll be back soon with some food, I hope. An' my name's Urgak. Urgak Gro-Shug." The Orc almost reached out to give her a handshake, but dropped his hand as soon as he raised it. It'd be silly to shake hands with a horse.
"Aendal Frelorn. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Twilight. So, I've been wondering: what is that curious marking on your flank? Is that a brand of some sort?" The Bosmer gestured to the six-pointed star on Twilight's flank, before he took a swig from his water skin.
The unicorn mare blinked, confused, before her brows lifted up. "Oh! My cutie mark? Everypony gets one when they find their special talent." She glanced at Aendal's hip, canting her head. "Why do you have yours covered up?"
Aendal chuckled, shaking his head. "No, I don't have any marks on me. Not like that, anyway. Nobody does, as far as I know." He capped his water skin, jumping to his feet and knocking an arrow back on his bow when the bushes nearby rustled.
"Put the damn bow down, Elf, if you wish to eat tonight." The Argonian stepped out from the bushes, dragging a dead sabercat on a makeshift litter carry. "This beast gave quite the chase – tracked him for six miles through the forest, before I felled him with my arrow." He set the litter down, then made his way to the front of the animal and plucked a black arrow from the creature's eye. Twilight fought the urge to vomit.
"So… You must be Haran. Nice to meet you!" Twilight held out her hoof in greeting, but shrank back when Haran's cold yellow stare met her eyes. "I, um… Thank you for saving me, earlier. If it weren't for you three… The big one was going to eat me!" Terror laced her words, and tears brimmed her eyes again.
Urgak shook his head, running a whetstone over his claymore. "He's the type to make us Orcs look like savages. Damned horse-eater." The bonfire popped loudly, one of the logs giving way to the heat and collapsing on itself. "Should get more wood for the fire. I'll be back." The Orc stood, sheathed his blade into the scabbard on his back, and made his way into the forest nearby.
Twilight watched the Orc leave, a quiet breath of relief escaping her. She wasn't racist or anything, but something about those creatures made her nervous; and that lizard… "So… I don't mean to sound crude, but… What are you, exactly? I've never seen creatures like you guys."
Haran chuckled, his blade cutting into the sabercat, sawing away at its flesh to remove the pelt. "Hah, she acts like she's never been to Tamriel." The lizard pulled his hood back, running a blood-stained hand over the crimson feathers topping his head as he turned to meet Twilight's gaze. "I'm an Argonian, a bestial race hailing from Blackmarsh." His blade pointed to Aendal, a smirk crossing his lips. "Aendal over there's a Wood Elf, or Bosmer; a race from Valenwood. And Urgak's an Orc, a race from Orsinium. Does that spell things out a little for you?"
The unicorn winced a bit at Haran's wheezing laugh, looking away and holding her hoof to her lips as he pulled the skin and fur away from the sabercat's flesh. "Eugh, do you really have to do that in front of me?" Judging by everyone's sharp teeth, she figured they were carnivorous, or at least omnivorous in nature; not unlike the Timberwolves in the Everfree Forest. As open-minded as she was about their eating habits, she still found it disgusting that they ate… Living creatures. Yuck.
Haran simply gave Twilight a dumbfounded stare before going back to hacking up the animal, spearing bits of meat on sticks and leaning them over the fire to cook. Admittedly, Twilight found the smell… Delicious. Tantalizing, even. However, she couldn't bring herself to so much as taste any of it. "I hate to be a bother, but…" She glanced up to Urgak when he walked in from the woods, arms cradling a pile of logs. "Do you guys have, maybe… Some daisies or something? I'm famished."
Aendal shook his head, picked up one of the sticks and munched on a bit of saber cat. "Haran, this tastes like a troll shat on it. You didn't poison the beast, did you?" He gave the Argonian an accusatory stare, who was also chewing on some of the cat-on-a-stick.
"Well, yes. Otherwise I'd have used up a dozen arrows on him. Why?"
The Bosmer just stared at Haran, set his meat down and walked over to where the reptile was sitting. SMACK! His palm struck the back of the Argonian's head, making him stumble forward. "How many times do I have to tell you? You poison the beast, you poison the meat, fool. I'll do the hunting from now on – you should stick to hunting people."
The Elven ranger marched over to his bag, withdrawing about a pound of wheat. "My apologies, Twilight, but this is all we have that's safe for you to eat." He set the food down in front of her, then walked back to his log seat and leaned against it, closing his eyes. "I'm gonna try and get some sleep. I suggest you all do the same; big day tomorrow."
"So, what's that town called, again? Whiterun?" Twilight had the hood of her cloak pulled up to cover her ears, in an attempt to keep the cold at bay. It was a bright, sunny day, the sparse clouds dotting the green, rolling hills with shadows. The beauty of the scene was almost enough to make Twilight not miss Ponyville. Almost. Off in the distance, the group heard a deafening roar; they looked West, and watched as a bright, swirling light escaped the plumes of smoke surrounding a stone tower.
Urgak narrowed his eyes, continuing toward the great walled city of Whiterun. "Looks like we might have a new contract on our hands, boys. Let's check in at the Bannered Mare, get our Septims from the contract on those bandits and see what's goin' on."
The group looked down at Twilight as they approached the stables, stopping in their tracks. The stables were thatch-roofed, the structures themselves made of wood; the heady scent of old hay and horse dung stung Twilight's nostrils, making her wince. "Why are we stopping? Aren't we going into the city?" She looked up at Aendal, a look of confusion tugging at her eyes.
"Twilight, you're… Well, you're a pony. We can't bring you into the city with us. The guards would have us thrown out. You'll have to wait here in the stables." The Bosmer offered her a look of pity, reaching down and ruffling her mane. "We'll be back in a few hours, yeah?"
The Orc chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest as they walked away. "There're other horses in there – maybe you can make some friends!" As the trio walked toward the town's gates, Twilight sighed and made her way over to one of the stalls, laying down and nibbling on some hay.
DO-VAH-KIIIIN!
The sudden, blaring noise made Twilight's fur stand on end, and rattled the walls of the stable. The unicorn yelped, ducking into a pile of hay, peeking out a few minutes later when she thought it was safe. "What in the wide, wide world of Equestria was that?"
At the Bannered Mare, the door swung open and the trio of mercenaries marched in, looking rather pleased with themselves as they approached the table in the far corner of the bar, having to walk around the fire pit in the middle of the room. The flames cast dancing shadows about the stone walls of the mead hall, the soft sounds of the bard's flute giving the place a cheerful atmosphere. Urgak reached into a pouch on his gear belt and produced a severed, green finger, still wearing a silver signet ring. "Here – proof that we removed the bandits you wanted taken care of. Now, 'bout that gold…" The Orc smirked, crossing his massive arms over his chest, the small scar on his cheek twisting with his expression.
The Nord woman sitting at the table took a swig of her mead, running her fingers through her blonde locks before examining the ring on the finger. "So you have. Here, payment as agreed: four-hundred Septims. Thank you; those were some real bastards you killed. Here; on top of your payment, I'll buy you all a round of drinks."
The group cheered, toasting to good company and fortune. Urgak danced by the fire with a barmaid, chugging a tankard of mead as he clumsily danced about. Haran sat in the shadowy corner of the mead hall, smoking from his long-stemmed pipe, a book open in his lap, the smoke billowing from between his lips and spreading a pleasant aroma around the room. Meanwhile, Aendal was leaning against the counter, chatting up the innkeeper for leads on work.
"So, know anyone who needs a few capable men, in exchange for some coin?" Aendal smirked, sipping at a bottle of ale. The innkeeper, a tall, pale-skinned woman with sharp facial features and dark hair, simply nodded to the Elf and pointed him to a man sitting by the fire pit. "Thank you."
Aendal marched over to the man, taking a seat next to him and sipping at his ale, setting the drink down after a few pulls. "So; I hear you need a few gentlemen to help you out with something."
The man, an older, frail-looking man dressed in blue and gold robes, nodded and took a sip of his own ale. "Yes-sir; that I do. There be a group'a bandits in a cave up the road to the North-East that've been attackin' merchants' wagons and lootin' supplies. I need some able-bodied men t' take 'em out. Tha' sound far enough up your alley?" The old man grinned, jingling his coin purse. "Five-hundred Septims, if you bring me their leader's signet ring."
Aendal nodded, grinning and shaking the man's hand. "Of course! We'll have it done within the week." The Bosmer stood from his seat, walked up to Urgak and grabbed the Orc by his ear. "Come on, dancing queen. Let's go bag us some bandits." The Elf crooked a finger at Haran, who immediately doused his pipe and snapped his book shut, following the pair out of the mead hall.
Aendal led the trio back to the stables, the light outside having dimmed considerably since they'd shown up, mid-day. The Bosmer tossed their bag of Septims from one hand to another, grinning as he watched Haran try to support a drunken Urgak as they walked down the cobblestone street. "Don't drop him, Haran; we may never get him back up, again."
The Argonian simply glared back at Aendal, muttering something about sleeping with one eye open, when the trio heard a familiar-sounding sob come from the stables. Their pace quickened, and they arrived at Twilight's wooden stall in a matter of moments, presented with a rather depressing sight: Twilight, her face buried in her hooves again, curled up and sobbing against a pile of hay. Aendal was the first to speak, clearing his throat. "Erm, Twilight? Everything okay?"
The unicorn just shook her head, pointing a hoof to the horse in the stall next to hers, looking up from her forelegs to the trio with a pair of bloodshot, tear-filled eyes. "H-he won't talk to me! W-why won't anyp-pony talk to me?" She buried her face in her legs again, sobbing quietly.
Aendal exchanged glances with Haran, and the now-sobered-up Urgak, sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. "Twilight, horses… Horses don't speak Common. Didn't you know that?"
She glared up at him, and then pointed to Urgak. "No! He told me the other ponies in the stable would talk to me!" The purple pony locked eyes with the Orc, wiping a tear from her cheek. "You lied to me, Urgak. Why would you lie to me?"
The Orc shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. "I thought it'd be funny. Are you serious? Talkin' to a horse? They're dumb as a sack'a rocks, incapable o' speech. I figured you knew that a'ready."
Twilight shook her head, sniffling before rising to her hooves. "No. I didn't. Where I'm from, all Equines are intelligent enough for speech. That was… Cruel of you, Urgak." She looked up to Aendal, tears still brimming in her eyes. "So… Where are we going next, Aendal?"
The archer beamed, pointing North-East. "Got us a contract to take out a group of bandits in a cave system in that direction; they've been raiding caravans and killing people, so we're getting paid good gold to make sure they don't do that, anymore. Let's be on our way, shall we?" He reached down to ruffle Twilight's mane, smiling and walking on; the unicorn followed behind him and letting out a dejected sigh.
"But… I don't want to have to fight anypony. Not again." She shuddered, remembering the cold, dead look that glazed over Grolag's eyes when his last breath left him.
Haran placed a clawed hand on Twilight's back, and offered her a sharp-toothed smile. "You get used to it, dear. I promise. Who knows? Maybe one day, you'll come to like it as much as I do." A low, raspy chuckle escaped the reptile's throat as they continued walking, the evening sun setting behind the mountains in the distance and casting a red glow over the landscape. Again, Twilight was rendered speechless by this land's beauty. The rolling hills, tall mountains and expansive forests reminded her of Equestria, the thought of home bringing more tears to her eyes.
She shook her head, reaching up with her foreleg to brush the tears away. No, Twilight, you can't let your thoughts go down that road. Not yet; once you have a day or so to wallow, you can let your mind wander. For now, just focus on the task at hand… The group crossed a bridge leading over the White River, passing up a group of tall Elves in golden armor, led by an Elf in black robes, the golden-skinned men sneering down at the mercenaries as they walked past. The trio of mercenaries was stone-faced as they passed the group up, and Twilight could have cut the tension with a knife. Once the group of Elven soldiers was out of sight, Twilight looked up to Aendal and nudged him with her horn. "Hey, Aendal; who were those men back there?"
The Bosmer grumbled, pulling the hood of his cloak up over his head. "The Thalmor. Aldmeri bastards vying for dominion over every damn thing in Tamriel. They've damn-near succeeded, too – as far as I know, only Hammerfell is free of the bastards. My family lived in Summerset Isle when the gold-skins took over and purged the place of all non-Altmer and dissenters; they burnt our house down and killed my mother. My father managed to escape with me in his arms, wrapped in a blanket."
Twilight simply stared at Aendal for a few moments, the gap between their two worlds feeling a thousand times more expansive with this revelation. The purple unicorn had never heard of anypony committing such atrocities, even the worst of enemies. The very concept was simply horrible, to say the least.
The sky darkened as the sun fell below the horizon, dark clouds slowly moving overhead and dropping a light dusting of snowflakes. Twilight brought her hood up with her magic, the cold air making her sneeze. "Purged? You mean, they… But that's terrible! Who would do something so barbaric?" A look of shock was plain on her face, her pace slowing.
"Warmongering bastards with no souls, Twilight. That's who. Now, keep up – we don't have far to go." The Bosmer adjusted the gear belt around his waist, quickening his pace just a bit.
After a few minutes of travelling, the group arrived at the mouth of a cave set into the side of a small mountain, a sign set in the dirt outside that read "Emte kave go away." "Well, s'pose this is th' one. Stupid bandits don't camouflage their bases very well."
Haran ducked into the shadows of the cave, his silhouette spear-heading the group. Aendal sighed, shaking his head. "No, I guess they don't. The 'empty cave' sign probably doesn't help them much." The archer knocked an arrow back, advancing behind Urgak, who rushed in with his claymore drawn. Twilight followed closely behind Aendal, trying to make herself as small a target as possible.
The inside of the cave was dark and dank, the only light coming from torches in the round, open section of cave ahead of them. Moss hung from the walls in patches, and the ground was littered with empty ale and wine bottles. Twilight was amazed that Haran hadn't made any noise when he crept ahead of them.
Up ahead, a gurgling sound echoed off of the walls, followed by the sound of several blades being drawn from their scabbards. "Looks like Haran got one. I guess their friends spotted him; Urgak, get in there and help him!" The Orc rushed forward, his armor clanking like a kitchen as he rushed into the open section of cave at the end of the dank tunnel.
Once they were all in the open "foyer" of the cave, Twilight watched in horror as one bandit swung his broadsword at Haran's head, the Argonian ducking and sinking his dagger into the Nord's stomach. Another bandit swung at him with an axe, but the reptile pivoted and moved in close to the man, his dagger slicing through the tendons underneath his arm. The bandit cried out in pain and horror, and Haran quickly silenced him by cutting his throat. Urgak kept the bigger targets off of the assassin, his claymore stabbing clean through one larger bandit's plate armor, the Nord bandit crumpling in a heap on the floor. Another large, heavily armored bandit came up behind Urgak, letting out a war cry as he began to swing his blade, but his voice was suddenly cut off along with his head as the Orc swung around, his blade finding purchase with the Nord's neck. Aendal, in the mean time, fired arrows into the fray, a pair of bandits sinking to the floor when his arrows found their mark in the bandits' necks. In its entirety, the skirmish lasted maybe thirty seconds to a minute, the trio of mercenaries having killed a total of seven bandits. The unicorn shuddered, bile searing the back of her throat as her stomach turned, but she closed her eyes and tilted her head back, biting down the wretched taste of vomit.
"That… Was terrifying. How can you guys kill people like that? Callously ending somepony's life without even attempting diplomacy." Twilight shivered, her hooves clomping loudly on the rocky floor as she made her way further into the room.
"Th' same way you can bury an axe into someone's throat when someone's in danger." Urgak wiped the blood from his claymore onto a fallen bandit, grumbling when his blade only picked up more dirt.
"W-well, that… That was different! He was going to cho-" Just then, a ball of flame sailed across the room from a dark alcove, the spell searing a small patch of Twilight's fur as it passed over her back. "Horseapples!" The unicorn broke into a gallop, trying to reach a tunnel that led away from both the alcove and the entrance.
From the alcove stepped a pale-skinned Altmer, his red-tinted eyes glinting in their sunken sockets as he brushed dirt from his black robes. A yellow glow enveloped his hands, and with a wave of his arms, the glow enveloped his entire body before he turned to Urgak, a white light enveloping his hands a split second before streams of frozen wind erupted from his hands.
The freezing air struck Urgak, the sudden drop in temperature forcing him to drop to his knees, almost dropping his blade. Haran dashed up behind the Altmer, bringing his blades down onto the Elf's back – resulting in his blades snapping on contact with the Elf's robes. "Stoneskin, you foolish assassin. Your blades are worthless!" The Altmer turned, a blue flash of light and streams of lightning leaping from the mage's fingertips and connecting with Haran's skin, knocking him back and making him seize up.
The Altmer turned to Aendal, flashing the Bosmer a fanged grin just as flames engulfed his hands, the mage bringing his arms back to prepare for a larger spell. Before he could cast his attack, three large arcs of lightning connected with his torso, causing the flames in his hands to dissipate and making him drop to his knees, straining to stay conscious as the constant assault refused to cease. Out from the shadows of the nearby tunnel stepped Twilight, lightning magic erupting from her horn, her eyes glowing with white light. "You hurt my friends – nopony hurts my friends." The mage finally collapsed, his corpse crumbling to dust as his last breath escaped him.
The lightning dissipated, Twilight's legs relenting to her fatigue, the unicorn collapsing on the floor and panting. "Is e-everypony okay? N-nopony's hurt, right?" She looked up to the trio, struggling to keep her eyes open.
Haran rose to his feet, stumbling a bit before stabilizing himself and reaching into a pouch on his belt. The assassin produced a small bottle filled with blue liquid, limping over to Twilight and holding out the container. "Drink this; we're fine, but you look exhausted. Are you okay?"
Twilight reached out with her magic, that familiar purple glow enveloping the bottle and pulling it to her lips. She downed the contents, her eyes going wide as her vigor was restored, rising to her feet. "By Celestia, that stuff is amazing; even better than Zecora's tonics! Thank you, Haran." She shook the dirt from her cloak, looking to Urgak. "Are you alright, Urgak?"
The Orc stood, shaking frost and snow from his armor, a grumble escaping his throat. "Damn spell-tossers. I hate frost magic." A shake of his head, and he sheathed his sword onto his back, glancing to Aendal. "Everyone okay?"
Aendal nodded, slinging his bow over his back. "Yeah, I'm fine. I've half a mind to beat that old man senseless; he never told me there would be a damned vampire here." A sneer crossed over his features, and he turned to make a bee-line for the tunnel leading outside.
"Where are you going, Aendal?" Twilight hurried behind him, risking a glance behind her to Haran and Urgak and the pile of bodies that littered the cave floor before returning her attention to the Bosmer.
"I'm going to give that slimy mudcrab a piece of my mind, that's where I'm going. The bastard had to know there was a vampire in that group of bandits. This was a setup." The Elf's tan skin was tinted reddish around his cheeks and neck; he was literally so angry that he was red in the face.
Urgak and Haran caught up to the other two members of their party, the former gently smacking Aendal on the arm with the back of his gauntlet. "'Ey, wha'bout that damn signet ring, fool? We need that to get our pay!"
"Forget the stupid ring, you bloody idiot! That rat bastard damn near had us killed, and we're gonna go collect our payment, whether he wants to give it to us or not!" The Bosmer flashed Urgak a death glare that could have frozen the blood of a Flame Atronach, returning his attention to the road.
Twilight sighed, keeping pace with the Wood Elf. When they reached Whiterun, Aendal was about to turn to Twilight to ask her to remain in the stables, but the unicorn was already on her way into the stall. The trio watched as she lay down and curled up, absent-mindedly brushing her tail with a foreleg. "Do you think she'll be alright?" Aendal glanced at Haran, the Argonian simply replying with a shrug. "Some help you are."
The trio continued into town, their breath creating steamy clouds in the wintry night air. Aendal reached for the door when they came to the Bannered Mare mead hall, but Urgak pushed his way past the Bosmer, shoving the door open and stomping inside. Aendal and Haran followed suit, sticking close behind the Orc when he stomped up to the old man, who was still sitting by the fire.
Urgak grabbed the old man by the front of his robes with one hand, picking him up off the floor with ease. The other patrons of the bar drew their swords and axes, and six icy glares were all aimed at the Orc as he shook the old man. "You bastard! Why didn't you tell us there was a blasted vampire in that cave? We could'a been killed, or worse: turned into bloody vampires!"
The old man just grinned, only his lower face visible from beneath his hood. "Because – I wanted to be sure you boys were made of tough stuff, and could handle unexpected elements in battle. If not, how else would I be able to keep hiring you as my personal team of vampire slayers?" He raised his chin, his lips parting to reveal a toothy grin.
The Orc set him down, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring daggers at him; everyone else in the tavern sheathed their blades, warily returning to their seats. Urgak huffed, tilting his head to each side and cracking his neck. "I'm listenin'."
A chuckle came from the old Nord, and he produced a rather large sack from his belt, dropping it to the floor with a WHUD! "Eight-hundred Septims for the first vampire you killed. Sonuvabitch was raiding travelling merchants and caravans with his raider crew, feeding off of some of them. Had another group kill off his thralls, but they never came back."
Aendal eyed the coins, slowly stooping to pick up the sack, then placing it into Urgak's gear bag. "We'll certainly consider it. We need to go consult amongst ourselves for a while. We'll be back in a few days' time with an answer. Is that acceptable?"
The man in the blue robes smirked, making a wide gesture with his wrinkled hands. "Of course, Bosmer. Take all the time you need. I'll be here, when you finally come to a decision. Send a courier, if you decide against it." With that, he leaned back in his seat, packing tobacco into his pipe.
Aendal shared glances with Urgak and Haran, a smirk crossing his lips as they made for the door. They stepped outside, grins plastered on their faces as they congratulated each other on a job well done; the trio started to march down the road toward Whiterun's gate, when a young, blonde, pale-skinned lad dressed in rags approached, a bit of parchment held in his hands. "S'cuse me, mister? I was told to give you this." He held up the folded paper, his hands shaking.
The Bosmer took the bit of parchment, smiling as he patted the boy on the head, handing him a coin. "Thank you, son; here, a Septim for your trouble." Aendal unfolded the note, the color draining from his flesh as he read the words aloud: "We have your baby unicorn; if you don't want it chopped to pieces and the horn ground into powder, bring ten thousand Septims to Fort Greymoor by dusk tomorrow."