Unlike the others, Irileth had seen fit to just wach everything unfold from a distance. When the western barricade had fallen, Irileth had been the one to watch it fall, and knew instantly who had caused its fall.
Thus, she had hurried down the western road to meet up with the forces of Whiterun - admittedly, a much smaller force than she'd assumed possible. She wasn't surprised to see Heimskr seemingly leading the charge, but his five compatriots were oddly absent. Alongside him were the Companions, a Redguard she recognized as Amren, and...
"Jarl Balgruuf?" she said, disbelieving her eyesight. This wasn't right; surely the Jarl of Whiterun wouldn't be here, in the flesh, wearing steel plate armor and...
"Irileth," he said with a nod. "I know what you're thinking: 'why are you here?' The answer is simply this: I was displaced, for a time, by these damned elves... and was placed under house arrest for months by them, as well! It doesn't matter that I have been reinstated; I want closure for this."
"But the city...!"
"It ran well enough without me for months," he confessed. "Besides, Kodlak has opted to remain behind, and is keeping things together in my stead."
She took another look around, and noticed that indeed, the Harbinger was absent. Perhaps she'd been too hasty in her initial head count...
"But if something happens to you here-"
"We are guided and guarded by Talos, Irileth," Heimskr said, clapping the Dunmer on the shoulder gently. "No damned Thalmor pawn is going to harm so much as a hair on our heads this day."
Although she'd never had much faith in Talos in the first place, she had to admit, hearing it was somewhat comforting. Her eyes returned to Jarl Balgruuf. "You still shouldn't be here, protection of Talos or otherwise."
"I'm already here, Irileth. There's no sense sending me back now, is there? It'd take longer for me to return and ride through the wilderness of Skyrim again - alone - than it would to cut down some elves and return triumphant with the rest of the fighters here."
She knew already that his mind was set, but had hoped she could dissuade him. She chuckled bitterly, resigning herself to his decision. "If you die, this is entirely my fault," she muttered. "I could and should have tried harder to make you-"
"Oh, give it up, Irileth," he said with a laugh. "It's just like old times, isn't it? When's the last time we went on an adventure like this, eh?"
"You weren't Jarl of Whiterun 'the last time'," she reminded him.
He didn't respond; she assumed he conceded that point.
"Hm?" Heimskr, whose attention had redirected to the road to Windhelm, was peering into the distance. "Ah, two... no, three elves come to us of their own volition. And yet, they don't seem to be hostile... not yet, anyway."
Irileth turned her attention from the Jarl to the road - and spotted the figures now making their way toward the forces of Whiterun.
Runael, Elenwen, Adalla and Mia. Why were they coming out... No. Irileth knew already; they were wondering what had happened to the western barricade, and with no flux of soldiers descending from where Mia had scouted out their camp, they had nowhere or nothing else to do for now... not without risking their lives needlessly.
"Aha!" Heimskr pointed a finger accusingly at Runael. "And there she is, my friends! The elven bitch who dared have me sent to Alinor in the first place! She has come to face-"
"Heimskr, stop!" Irileth ordered. "She is no longer with the Thalmor! She defected not long after your imprisonment, and is fighting against the Thalmor even now!"
"Ha! I'm supposed to believe that?" he countered. "She walks with the First Ambassador of-"
"Former First Ambassador," Irileth interrupted him. "I see you've been out of touch with all that has developed in Skyrim while you were imprisoned."
He looked deflated for a time. "...Then explain to me why we are not killing two of the Thalmor right now."
She hadn't been expecting to survive the encounter. Heimskr had ridden at the front, seemingly unafraid of facing danger in this... 'crusade' he seemed to be leading against the Thalmor. Fortunately, she had managed to slip around to the back and approach from behind - to deliver the message to a man in steel plate armor, on horseback.
She hadn't realized it then, but she'd delivered the message to the Jarl of Whiterun. When he made that clear, she took advantage of the opportunity to excuse herself from his presence, and left him with the message in hand.
Although the Jarl seemed indifferent to it, it did infuriate Heimskr... for a time. After a while, though, he seemed to become more and more self-assured that it was a trick, and had demanded to know where the elf who had delivered it was.
She hadn't taken the time to slip away completely, and trying to do so upon hearing his words caused her to try and rush away. This, in turn, made it easy for the Jarl of Whiterun to point her own, especially when she loosed a stone from the path and fell.
By the time she'd stood up, she'd been surrounded, and Heimskr instantly recognized her as Anasteria, the Thalmor Vindicator that he'd fought - and defeated - back in Alinor.
Thus, she'd been taken prisoner - contrary to her belief that she'd be killed by him on sight. It was clear they had a plan in mind for her... but what? As per Thellias' order, she had gone out in plain clothes, and had no physical weapon at her side; all she had was her understanding of magic, in particular bound weapons. Of course, her hands were bound, and she was under nonstop watch, at the center of the group, so escape was seeming impossible.
She heard mention of Elenwen, however, and that caught her attention. Was she there, among the group now? Had the forces of Whiterun, marching on the blockade, taken her prisoner as well - or accepted her into their ranks?
She also heard mention of the name 'Runael', and felt her heart flutter a bit. Her daughter. Was she also prisoner, or ally to these Nords? She strained her ears to try and learn more.
"...prove they're not Thalmor," she heard the priest say. All was silent for a time, and were it not for the people parting, in her own general direction, she would have suspected time had frozen.
Then she found herself face-to-face with Heimskr, Elenwen, and Runael. Her eyes affixed on her daughter for a time, whose own eyes were wide with shock and confusion.
"We captured this Thalmor bitch trying to deceive us with a message, to try and drive me into a blind rage and make me susceptible to idiocy - ironically, an idiotic move," he said smugly. "You want to prove you're not with the Thalmor anymore? Kill her."
For a long time, mother and daughter simply stared at each other. They both clearly had a lot they wanted to say, but neither wanted to be the first to speak.
For Elenwen, it wasn't so much a matter of speaking as it was taking action - and she did so, drawing the dagger and stepping tentatively toward Anasteria.
"W-wait!" Runael said, gripping Elenwen's arm.
"Rune, if we don't-"
"That's my mother!" Runael shouted, interrupting the former First Ambassador.
All was silent again, except this time, for a different reason.
"Hmm... then perhaps you killing her is the worst choice." Heimskr sounded considerate, if nothing else. Then...
"Elenwen, kill her. Otherwise, I will believe you both to be Thalmor spies, and I will have all three of you killed."
Anasteria didn't doubt for a moment that Elenwen would do so, and yet... why did she seem to be hesitating? She eventually turned her attention back to Runael. "May I speak my last words?" she asked.
Heimskr gave her a scathing look, but nodded curtly.
"Runael. I thought I raised you better than..." Her voice trailed. "...I see I was wrong. I thought I taught you loyalty. I thought you would understand-"
"I did, mother, before my blind eyes were opened," she interrupted. "I visited the College of Winterhold... realized that the Thalmor were simply going to be denying those who had dreams for their futures those very dreams. These aren't 'lesser creatures', mother... the Nords, like it or not, are living beings as sentient and bright as us mer. They, like us, have dreams - and who are we to deny another their dream?"
Anasteria recognized the words as some she herself had spoken to Runael, when she was younger. At the time, Runael had a superiority complex, and thought herself better than anyone who didn't share her dreams of serving the Dominion. She didn't realize that not everyone had the same interests as her - that everyone had their own dream. To hear the words echoed back at her, after all this time...
Despite her disappointment with Runael's decision to defect, Anasteria smiled. "I'm... oddly proud of you, Runael. I shouldn't be, considering you betrayed the Dominion, and your own people... but I'm proud. You've finally learned the lesson I tried so hard to teach you when you were younger. You've finally blossomed into a promising young lady. If I am to die here and now, it will be with only the regret that you learned that lesson in such a way that it turned you against the Dominion... but hopefully, those you are now loyal to will benefit from your power, your charisma, your..." She shook her head. "No. I can't have you getting a big head and an even bigger ego."
Runael chuckled softly at the light-hearted jab. "I have one question. Thellias... is he my-"
"He told Vernanye, I know, but no - Thellias is not your father. Your father died many years ago, dying as a coward and dishonorable mer would." The memory of Runael's father was one Anasteria had tried so hard to bury throughout time, and now it threatened to resurface; she did all she could to bury it again, though.
"Enough," Heimskr said. "As a Thalmor loyalist addressing a traitor to the Thalmor, this is proof enough for me... at least, for you." His gaze turned to Elenwen. "You, on the other hand..."
"Elenwen, please don't," Runael whispered. "Please. Not my mother."
Again, Elenwen looked conflicted. It was evident she wanted to clear her own name and prove her innocence... but at the price of Runael's mother? Why was Elenwen so considerate of Anasteria's life? Were the rumors she'd heard true, then...?
Before she could voice the question, an ebony arrow flew from out of nowhere, and lodged itself in Anasteria's chest. She gasped as it sank into her, and felt her strength bleed out along with her blood. She looked up, searching for the source - wondering, wildly, if she'd been betrayed by one she still loved. Thellias had always been a decent shot, and typically used ebony arrows...
She sighed in relief as she spotted the woman with long, brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, clad in sleeveless leather armor, wearing a white fur cloak, an ebony bow in hand. She didn't recognize the woman in the slightest, but there didn't seem to be any malice. In fact, as the woman who shot her drew closer, and as Anasteria struggled to hang on to life for a while longer, she noticed the silent look of understanding in the woman's eyes.
The woman had taken the burden of killing Anasteria unto herself in Elenwen's place, to spare the former First Ambassador the pain of having to do it herself... and to save her friends, as well.
"Elenwen... is also a traitor..." Anasteria managed to say; her strength and life were both slipping away quickly. "Thellias... will have her head... for..."
She could say no more. Her eyes turned to Runael, and she offered the warmest smile she could manage to give her daughter before she breathed her last.
"Mia..." Runael said quietly, once she'd managed to get the woman away from the crowd; Elenwen had also joined them, despite Runael's initial refusal.
The woman offered no comment. She had simply done what needed to be done, she knew that. It was to save both Runael and Elenwen. One life or three - the choice was obvious.
"What did you do?!" the Arch-Mage finally snapped. It seemed as if the shock that her mother had been killed had finally passed, and in its place was fury; hatred seemed to blaze in her eyes.
"What Elenwen couldn't. 'Cause if she had, ya'd be hatin' her right now," Mia said softly. "Whoever killed yer mother were gonna have yer undyin' hatred, aye? I made the easiest choice. Elenwen and ya are tight, Runael; again, I hate her guts, but I ain't gonna let Elenwen bear that weight. Adalla's yer best elven friend, aye? She weren't gonna do it, either, 'cause she weren't under suspicion of bein' former Thalmor. That left me t'save yer life, and Elenwen's as well."
"But-"
"No, Runael, no buts. This were the best course. This way, yer both alive, and ya ain't hatin' one close t'ya. If bearin' yer hatred is what I gotta do t'make sure yer both alive, then aye, I'm gonna do it."
Runael trembled. Her spurt of anger had seemingly passed, for now, and was replaced by the grief of her loss. Elenwen wrapped her arms around her comfortingly, and gave Mia a look that seemed uncertain.
"What ya lookin' at?" Mia commented.
"I... just don't know how to... to react," Elenwen said. "On the one hand, I'm... grateful, I suppose, that you were so willing to take that burden... but killing her mother in front of her...?"
"Aye. I ain't got a doubt in me mind that the priest woulda done the same, afore he killed her and ya. Best she bear witness t'the death and live on t'avenge her mother one day."
"Then... you won't protest if, one day, I..." Runael said softly, almost a mumble.
"No. I brought this on meself, after all; if it means I gotta face the music when all's said and done, then so be it, I will."
Runael was silent once more, shuddering in Elenwen's arms. The former First Ambassador turned her attention to the Arch-Mage, and held her firmly and in a reassuring manner.
Mia had seen such scenes before. She'd never been the one to usher them in, however. For all her words and acceptance, Mia couldn't deny she was a little... afraid of what she'd invited upon herself. She had chosen the action she'd taken for the reasons she'd said... but that didn't make it any easier on her. It seemed unlikely that, just a couple evenings prior, Runael and Mia had had a decent conversation, and even seemed to get along well enough; after that evening, Mia had even wondered if Runael considered her a friend of sorts.
Though, after what Mia had done, she knew that she was no longer quite a 'friend' to the Arch-Mage. She knew Runael possessed power, even if she hadn't shown it just yet; was she willing to face it head on, to accept punishment for the crime she'd committed - even if it had been done to keeep her alive?
As Runael and Elenwen rejoined the forces of Whiterun, Mia found herself wondering if she and Adalla really had to stick around any longer. They still had business in Solstheim, after all; were either of them really necessary to this effort, especially now that Whiterun had joined in? She reminded herself, however, that their efforts thus far were the result of Mia's and Adalla's scouting and Adalla's map; it was likely they could and would provide more insight into the conflict yet to come.
Runael's mind was filled with thoughts of vengeance, of hatred, of gratefulness, of disbelief. She knew her mind was a mess, but didn't know where to begin sorting her mind out.
Even as the forces of Whiterun marched on to the entrance of the vast bridge preceding Windhelm, the Arch-Mage could find no comfort from anyone's words or anything else. She was grateful for Elenwen's efforts to help her troubled mind, but was fully aware that until her own thoughts had been sorted, it was all for naught.
Her mother had been killed right in front of her. By one she'd, until then, considered a trustworthy ally, if not a friend. Part of her still did, and that was what made the betrayal of her trust all the more painful. And yet... would she be feeling any different if Elenwen had done it? Runael wasn't sure. Was it because of who did it, or because it was her mother who had been murdered? Was the price worth it?
She felt a nudge in her side, and glanced to her right to look at the one who nudged her. The white hair and green cloak told Runael all she needed to know about who it was.
"She did it for you," Adalla murmured quietly. "You and Elenwen both."
"I know," the Arch-Mage replied quietly, "but that doesn't make it any easier to..."
They were both silent. Neither wanted to be the one to break the silence, even though it was becoming uncomfortable very quickly.
"I don't know her full story," Adalla said after a time, "but I think for Mia, it was an easy choice to make. She hasn't told me... anything about her past, but I imagine her past was... chaotic. It shows in her inability to read and write well, and her speech... personally, I like it - it's part of who she is - but anyone else would argue it's a sign of poor education... or an entire lack thereof."
"You're going somewhere with this, or are you going to try and-" Runael was cut off by a pained expression by Adalla, and decided to let her friend continue.
"My point is that for her, if her past is truly as chaotic as I suspect, it was an easy choice for her. One life instead of three. It wouldn't surprise me if she'd had to make such choices many times in the past - or, at the very least, seen them made by others. I'm not trying to justify her choice to you, I'm trying to help you understand that, in the end, it might just be who she is."
"You don't know?" Runael said flatly.
Adalla shook her head. "I've never seen her make such a choice before now... never seen her blatantly murder someone else. Technically, your mother was our enemy... and yet, even now, it doesn't feel right. Even now, I find myself wondering if there had been any other way to resolve the matter. What if it had just been a test on his part, and Mia didn't recognize it as such? Simultaneously, what if he demanded some other task of you and Elenwen, something... worse, somehow?"
Runael was only half-listening now. What if it had been a test, and Mia had misinterpreted it? No, that didn't seem likely... he'd been imprisoned by the Thalmor - because of her, no less - and despised them anyway. Had it been the best idea he'd had, then, to settle the matter? To decide whether or not they were still Thalmor or not?
As the forces representing Whiterun came to stop outside of Windhelm, and the Companions began to set up a small, temporary camp nearby, Runael found herself drifting away from the rest of the group. She noticed that Elenwen noticed, and found herself wishing she could just be left alone for a change.
"Rune, don't wander too far off alone," Elenwen said softly.
"I'm fine-"
"No, you're not," Elenwen interrupted. "It's dangerous to wander around like this. Don't forget about the Dominion on the ridge."
The Arch-Mage blinked a few times. In truth, she had almost forgotten about that matter altogether. Was her mind truly such a mess that she'd nearly lost the reason why that ultimatum had been posed in the first place?
"You're still wandering," Elenwen protested, moving a bit faster to keep up with Runael. At first, the Arch-Mage wondered why the former First Ambassador was moving so much faster; when she forced herself to become self-aware once more, however, she realized that she'd been moving quite quickly herself. She slowed her pace so Elenwen didn't have to try and keep up; she looked relieved as Runael slowed.
"I know it's dangerous," Runael said after a time. "Even so, I think I just need to walk, to try and clear my mind..."
"You've been trying," Elenwen reminded her. She slipped her hand into Runael's, and squeezed firmly... reassuringly. "Sometimes, it's hard to take the most traumatic experiences alone."
"I'm pretty sure it's always hard to take those experiences alone," Runael said bitterly.
"That's... a fair point, but you know what I'm trying to say." She seemed ready to say more, but sighed. "No, never mind. I've said it a few times already; no sense repeating myself."
Runael glanced over her shoulder at the small camp being set up, and realized she and Elenwen had put quite a bit of distance between themselves and the forces of Whiterun. She contemplated turning back and returning to the relative safety of the small camp.
"Psst, you two!" The voice was hushed, yet vaguely familiar. Both mer started to look around for the source of the voice.
Najati was standing among some brush along the side of the road, mostly hidden from view. She was beckoning both mer closer and looking as if she was nervous about something.
"There you are," Elenwen said, taking the words - and misguided anger that was building in Runael once more - from the Arch-Mage. She was simultaneously relieved and irritated that Elenwen had pre-empted her. "Just what were you thinking, deviating from-"
"Spare me the lecture," Najati said sharply. "There's something you both need to see. Come, I'll lead you to it." She started down the road, hugging the southern edge closely.
"What's-"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," was all the Khajiit said. She didn't stop or turn back; they were either going to follow her, and see what she'd discovered, or let her go, and have their curiosity eat away at them until they relented.
They both hurried somewhat to catch up to the Khajiit, whose ears twitched a little as she heard their approaching steps. She still didn't look over her shoulder at them. They both slowed simultaneously, however, when Najati began to ascend a slope that seemed to lead directly to the Thalmor camp.
"Najati, what's going on? Why are you leading us to-"
"You need to see it to believe it," she said, basically rewording her previous statement. It was sufficient enough to keep their curiosity piqued - even if they were both on high alert now. What could be up on the ridge that was so important as to risk detection?
They both recognized the tents as they came into view; they were indeed tents the Thalmor used. This was where they were situated, then. And yet, for all the tents present...
"No one's... here?" Runael asked uncertainly, glancing about.
"Not exactly."
The voice was one Runael had heard but twice in the distant past: once when she'd graduated the training every member of the Thalmor went through, and once when her sister was accepted to become a Vindicator. What made her recognize it was the confidence and energy it seemed to hold at all times, even despite sounding as old as the mer to whom it belonged. Her eyes turned to face the sight she'd seen only twice before: a mer, clad in ebony armor, a helmet in his hands, his own eyes staring at her and Elenwen both.
"Thellias," Elenwen murmured, sounding scared all of a sudden.
"Thank you, Najati, for leading them here." Thellias' voice was smug as he thanked the Khajiit.
"It was easy enough," she replied. "Now, our bargain?"
Runael didn't dare believe her ears. Had Najati betrayed them? Was this some elaborate scheme on the Khajiit's part to undo the Thalmor from within?
"I haven't forgotten." He rapped gauntlet-covered knuckles upon the helmet three times.
The sounds of metal striking metal seemed to be a signal, for out of nowhere, dozens and dozens of Thalmor soldiers appeared out of thin air. Runael realized, belatedly, that either they had access to invisibility spells, or that they'd imbibed potions of invisibility.
"Surround them."
Thellias' command was met with instant obedience. Soon, both the Arch-Mage and former First Ambassador were trapped within a ring of Thalmor soldiers, accompanied by Thellias and Najati both.
"Restrain Runael."
She hadn't realized how close she'd been to the soldiers until two seized her wrists and pulled her away from Elenwen; another soldier grabbed Elenwen and pulled her away from Runael a fair distance. Both mer protested and tried to resist, but the soldiers proved... far too much for either of them to overwhelm on their own.
"And now, it is ready." He looked at Najati. "She's yours." He stepped toward the edge of the 'ring' furthest from Runael, and cast a look at her. "You, Runael, are under arrest for treason, and will be on the first boat back to Alinor once we are through here. You will be accompanied by the one who infiltrated the Embassy, as he has been... reluctant to provide details we desire."
"And Elenwen?" she asked, not liking the sounds of this.
"If she survives, she will be joining you." His lips curled into a smirk. "Though, considering she's about to face Najati..."
The words made both Runael's and Elenwen's eyes widen in horror. Only the latter looked at the Khajiit, who had drawn both of her daggers and was readying herself for a fight.
Elenwen had no chance. Runael knew that already. She was a wizard; she wasn't well-suited to take on an assassin like Najati. Surely he knew that? But if he did, then it meant he was...
"Alinor will put you on trial for deciding her fate yourself," she snapped.
"'We were ambushed by a Khajiit assassin en route to the Embassy from Windhelm'," Thellias began. "'Elenwen was killed by the assassin, whom we managed to put down before she could hurt any more of us.'" He chuckled softly. "Who do you think they're going to believe, Runael? You, the traitor, or me, the devoted and honorable Vindicator?"
She grit her teeth. She knew exactly who they'd believe, and loathed the truth of the matter.
"Najati." Thellias finally shifted his gaze to the Khajiit's back. "I can stage your death after this, so the Dominion can't track you down, even if we give them a name."
"I'd appreciate it."
He nodded lightly. "Then have fun."
"Adalla, ya seen Runael or Elenwen?" Mia asked. The camp had been set up, and while the Windhelm guards had seemed apprehensive of someone daring to set up camp outside the bridge, they seemed visibly relaxed to learn it belonged to a group of fighters from Whiterun.
Mia and Adalla were relaxing a fair distance from the camp, in Mia's tent. As the woman had put it, 'it's better t'have privacy from the eyes of them buggers from Whiterun.'
And yet, despite that apparent desire for privacy, Mia seemed very concerned about Runael, such that she'd been the first to notice the Arch-Mage missing from the Whiterun camp.
"I wouldn't be surprised if they've sought out privacy for themselves," Adalla commented. She knew the truth of the matter between Runael and Elenwen; she'd been... regaled with the first tale of their shenanigans the day after they'd happened.
"Ain't likely, considerin' how Runael's mind is." The woman seemed to be searching the camp now from their own tent.
"Well... I'll concede that point..." She sat up from her bedroll and started scanning the camp herself.
Their attention was redirected by the sound of what seemed to be an explosion from the east. They turned their gazes to the general eastern area - and zeroed in on the ridge where the Thalmor had set up camp.
Rising just above the edge of the ridge were several columns of smoke.
"...Are ya thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Mia asked quietly, on her feet almost instantly.
"If you're thinking Runael and Elenwen are there, then yes." Adalla was already on her feet, and had her mace and shield both in hand. "We need to hurry if we're going to save them!"
A.N. - In break of story format tradition, there is no opening letter for this one. Why? Because it's the second part of a chapter.
When I introduced Anasteria, I wasn't entirely sure what was going to happen to her, in the end. On the one hand, she's the mother of a traitor... but on the other, she's a proud member of the Thalmor. There were only a couple ways she could end. I chose the way that builds Runael up for the finale.
Mia's not the type to willingly invite such hatred upon herself, so that should speak volumes about how necessary she felt the act of killing Anasteria was. It was not an easy decision to kill her off, but imprisoned by Heimskr and kept under watch by Whiterun, who had become very anti-Thalmor... there really was no other alternative, excluding 'she's set free by Runael and Co./Thellias and Co.'. Thellias, of course, wouldn't have known about this particular incident, and the story would take another massive plot twist if she were set free by Runael and Co.
So what was the explosion on the ridge? What are Mia and Adalla going to find when they arrive? That, everyone, will be revealed next! Read on for the grand finale of Flames!
-Spiritslayer