A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed! Thanks to my Beta, TimexHasxGone, and I hope you like this chapter! :)

'The bow too tensely strung is easily broken' - Anonymus

Lauraine thought silently for a moment, her eyes glancing towards Martin every few seconds...

"Oh! My mistake. Hammerfell border, not Valenwood. But i'm guessing from the look on your face that where it appears no longer matters..." Staring back down at the maps, Lauraine pondered on how they were going to solve the problem.

"What are the daedra discussing?" Voice shaking, Martin directed the question towards Lauraine, his voice hushed from fear that the Daedra in question would hear him.

"I'm not sure. I think Azura is trying to get Hircine to think over his plan. Avoid the attack..."

"The daedra never go against each other. She would be banished for attempting to help Mortals..."

"I think you will find that she wouldn't. When they formed thousands of years ago, they ensured that nothing could overthrow them. They would need the votes of the other sixteen. Meridia would never agree, neither would Ebonarm... In fact, Ebonarm can hardly be classed as a Daedric Prince, more of a god of war. Azura is attempting to stop the attacks, not because she fears for Tamriel, but because she fears the damage it may do to Hircine and his realms. Azura is never deceitful, but the way my mistress almost always gets what she wants is disturbing..." Shaking her head, Lauraine rolled out some more maps and notes, eagerly skipping through for information.

"So there is a chance that this attack may be stopped?"

"A very, very thin chance. Azura may always get what she wants, but I doubt Hircine would simply let it go, what with the creation of his armies, and an almost flawless plan." Tutting loudly, Lauraine started to push certain notes off the side of the wooden desk, creating a large pile or parchment in the middle of the floor.

"We truly are doomed."

"Yes. We a-" Lauraine was cut off abruptly by a loud roar from the floor above. The castle shook violently, Martin unconsciously gripping into Lauraines arm in fright.

"What was-"

"That? It always happens. They discuss, they argue, and then Peryite steps in by transforming and jumping into the middle of them. Many of my paintings and drawing have fallen from my wall as a result." Casting her eyes around her room, Lauraine pointed her finger towards a painting that hung on the furthest wall. As predicted, the painting fell to the floor loudly, causing a loud bang to echo throughout the room.

"That painting... That was our wedding day." Muttering quietly, Martin made his way over to the painting, picking it up delicately in his hands.

"Yes. Although I did not know it was at the time I painted it." Refusing to look up, Lauraine read through the daedric passages on the pages quickly, already knowing the language well enough to not need a book. Martin was staring at all the paintings around her room, noticing, with a pang of jealously, that he was not the only man she had painted.

"You seem to draw these two men alot. They seem very, um, dark." Observing them all, Martin noted how one was clearly a vampire, whilst the other seemed to have turned from a attractive young man, to another vampire.

"Those two men are the only people I trusted for the entirety of my past life. And the only two I still trust in this one. In Tamriel, that is." Light anger was entering her voice; whether it was because she was tired of being interrupted from her translating, or because he had hit a nerve, Martin did not know.

"What about me?"

"Need I remind you about the five times I walked in on you with my chamber maid?" Now an angry snarl, Lauraine's dagger made an appearance, being placed onto the desk for easy access.

"You don't trust me?" Lauraines eye twitched.

"No." Venomous this time, Lauraine was refraining from strangling Martin.

"Are you still caught up ab-"

It happened very quickly. The gleaming elven dagger was ripped from the sheath on the table, and flung through the air with such accuracy and speed, Martin didn't see it until it was embedded in his shoulder. The force from the dagger had sent him flying backwards, into the concrete walls behind him. Finding himself hanging a few inches above the floor with the dagger still in his shoulder, Martin felt like his shoulder was being torn. His body wanted him to move down, all his weight pulled him towards the ground, yet the dagger was embedded through his shoulder and into the wall. The pain was unthinkable, and unfortunately, not beyond his senses capabilities. Lauraine was in front of him in seconds, her body a few inches from his own.

"Yes Martin Septim, I am still caught up about it. Because, in case you haven't realized, it takes alot to trust someone who shatters the base trust five times over! Had you caught me with Chancellor Ocato five times, would you still trust me? No, I think you would not! So don't you dare ask me if I'm still caught up about it! Because you know damn well I am! All these years, I have lived in peaceful bliss, never knowing the truth. When I remembered everything, your betrayal emotionally killed me!" Shrieking, Lauraines voice had hit an all time high, the pitch and loudness of the sound surely sinking through the walls and catching the ears of the Daedra in the floor above. To make the pain worse, Lauraine slightly twisted the dagger, before mercilessly ripping it from the wall and his shoulder. Sheathing it, Lauraine moved back over to the desk, biting her lip at some of the words on the parchment.

"Lauraine... It's not healing up." Pleading for her to look at him, Martin tried many restoration spells on his shoulder, yet the hole - and the pain- refused to close.

"Of course it's not. I had the dagger poisoned for the next animal I was to ram it into. Unfortunately that animal was you. If you don't fall unconscious in the next ten seconds, then you'll be stuck with an unbearable pain in the shoulder for seven hours."

"My body should be able to fight the poison..." His words were choked out through the unbearable pain he was going through, vision hazing with red dotting the edges. The sentence being said, Martin promptly fell unconscious. Lauraine kicked his limp body, a single word emitting from her lips.

"Wimp."

"Are you shitting me?! Impossible! No! It's wrong!" Snatching the map from Martins hand, Lauraine stood upright, glaring down at the map in anger.

"Maybe we just took a wrong turn, it's possible..." Martins voice was weak, his head throbbing and his shoulder rebelling against being moved the slightest.

"No, I assure you we didn't. The hunting rooms may be a very large plane, but this map should be flawless." Eyes scanning the map with perceived anger and sharp wit, Lauraine memorized every cut and corner they had turned, before settling dead on in the middle of the map.

"Martin... When we hit the two forks, and I asked you if we either went forward left, forward right, left left, or left right... Which one did you tell me?"

"Forward right. Why?" Martin was looking around the empty room, feeling uneasy. Not being able to shake the feeling that he was being watched, Martin put it down to slight fear from what Lauraine would do should he step out of line. She had already stabbed him once, who's to say she wouldn't do it again?

Martin's fear was well placed. Despite the fact that Lauraine had told them to be extremely quiet or 'both our lives will be in danger', the woman started shouting at a high pitch.

"You idiot! I outlined the map perfectly for you! I had the route drawn out! And yet you still led us the wrong way! Incompetent idiot." Cursing, Lauraine immediately started to walk off down the narrow passageway they had just entered through, her blonde hair shimmering in the faint light.

"You don't really mean those insults! You're just still pissed about our conversation inside Az-" Abruptly being cut off at a loud whooshing sound, Martin ducked just in time as the dagger flew over his forehead, embedding itself in the wall behind him. "You missed!" Martin pulled the ebony dagger from the wall, about to the throw it to the side when he recognized the scratched hilt and slightly blunt blade. His eyes widened, his mind frazzling as he looked to his empty sheath.

How on earth? Sneaky woman...


"Hurry up! Tamriel doesn't have the next two days to spare as you stare at that dagger! Get a move on!" Lauraines voice rung from somewhere to his left, Yet Martin was annoyed at the pure fact he had to go forward, right, forward and then left to get to her again.

"Is that a mountain lion?!"

"No, it is a werewolf. Clearly you can tell the difference. Colour, snout shape, type of fur, and size." Dragging him deeper into the Hunting grounds, Lauraine started to grow restless.

The daedra meeting should be over by now. Hircine can surely sense our presence.


Finally, after half an hour of backtracking and then rerouting, Martin and Lauraine hit their destination, passing many sleeping werewolves in the process. Gasps escaped both their lips, before an angry growl let lose from Lauraines.

"This is it? We came all the way here, for a cloak, a blade and a staff?! No way!" Kicking the dirt in frustration, Lauraine cursed very loudly around the abyss. They had been led deep into the hunting grounds, part of the planes that were never visited by mortals.

"Um... Lauraine?"

"What?!"

"I really don't think that werewolf should be moving."

"Oh shit, she's awake!" Lauraine looked back at the mahogany werewolf, before spinning on her heel and grabbing the staff.

"Why not use a blade?"

"Because then we'll have to get close to her, and I don't plan on becoming a werewolf anytime soon!" Holding the staff out, Lauraine muttered the spells needing to activate it. Nothing came from the end of the staff, but the werewolf stopped dead in her tracks.

"What happened?"

"He's helping us!" Lauraine's face was a mix of utter delight, as she realized the power of the staff.

"Who?!"

"Hircine! He likes the hunt, but he'll always give the victim a chance of success, no matter how small! That's the rule! The staff controls the wolves! Grab the other stuff" Face lighting up as she watched the werewolf gaze up at her, a small idea flitted across Lauraines mind. Her smile immediately turned quite evil, as she looked from the staff, to the werewolf, and then to Martin.

"Oh no! Don't you dare Lauraine!" Ignoring him, Lauraine cast her eyes to the werewolf, grinning as she bared her teeth towards Martin.

"Lets see how fast you are, with a werewolf on your heels."

Azura cursed to herself, sending vicious glares towards her unsuspecting guards. Pulling Lauraine and Martin from wherever they were, she watched as a very happy looking Lauraine fell to the floor infront of her, followed by a extremely dishevelled Martin. Holding three objects in her hands, Azura noted the frightened glares Martin kept sending the staff in Lauraines arms.

"You summoned us, my lady?"

"I give you news. Good and bad..."

"What is wrong, my lady?"

"I am afraid that Hircine has decided to double the soldiers he will be sending to Cyrodiil... To five thousand. Two thousand werewolves, two thousand Alronacts, and a thousand elemental Alronacts..." Azura's words shocked Lauraine, the items in her arms clattering loudly to the floor. The sound echoed throughout the castle, bouncing off the walls and allowing fear to sink in.

"And the good news?" Martin spoke up, his voice shaking at the realization of what was coming.

"Hircine will not attack for another week."

Martin turned to Lauraine with a small flicker of hope on his face. Her attention, however, was elsewhere. Shaking, her hands were pointed towards the ceiling, a look of pure fear etched upon her face. Martin stared up at the ceiling, his heart stopping at the appearence of the Mythic Dawn skeleton they encounter in the caverns hours earlier. Now noticing that the eyes were not green, but a glowing blue, Martin watched as said skeleton turned and looked down towards Lauraine. Lauraines next words caused Martins stomach to drop.

"She has come for me."

The skeleton swooped down from the ceiling swiftly, surrounding Lauraine in a mist of sickly green. The Mythic Dawn robes had flowed out and formed a magical type of barrier, preventing him from seeing Lauraine, and not allowing him to get to her. Her high-pitched scream tore through the hall, startling both Martin and Azura.

The Daedric Prince abruptly stood up from her throne, throwing a ball of black light towards the barrier of robes. As the spell was reflected and sent hurling towards a pillar, Azura's pale face lit up in realization. Looking desperatley towards Azura, Martin understood she would do nothing, and moved to cut apart the robes. A small hand wrapped around the fabric on his back, yanking him backwards and forcing him down onto the cold white concrete with a harsh force.

"Do not move... She'll be okay..."

Martin never heard the words come from Azura's lips. The reason being that the robes that encircled the skeleton and Lauraine had stopped moving, the magic force behind them gone. As the robes crumpled to the floor, Martin felt a growing sickness as he realized that both Lauraine -and the skeleton- were gone.