A/N: Thanks to my Beta TimexHasxGone, and thanks to those who reviewed!
You always admire what you really don't understand - Blaise Pascal
Azura stood up from her throne so fast that the male guard who stood right next to it jumped backwards in shock, falling off the raised platform and landing on the floor with a very loud 'smack'. This resulted in Lauraine jolting in slight shock, causing her to fall backwards onto Martin. Holding her steady, Martin took a step backwards, forgetting that he too was at the edge of the steps to Azura's throne. Losing his footing, Martin slipped backwards, tumbling down the steps and coming to a steady stop at the base. Azura momentarily broke from her moment of annoyance to roll her eyes at the two men, glaring at the two of them.
"Men, such idiots who cannot hold themselves properly. To be so ungraceful as to fall off a platform." Muttering quietly, Azura sent another glare towards Lauraine, who had giggled quite loudly behind her hand at the two men who lay in crumpled heaps on the floor below.
"Sorry, my lady... It's just, well look at them."
"Indeed. Diverting the subject. What do you mean, that skeleton is you? You are standing here before me, so how are you that disgusting undead creature?" At her words, Lauraine immediately raised an eyebrow, staring up at Azura.
"Been talking to Meridia lately? Anyway, like I said, that skeleton is me. Well, part of me. That skeleton is what should have been me."
"Child, you have confused me."
"Okay, well... When I killed myself all those years ago in the Imperial Palace, my spirit never actually left until my body was placed in the palace under croft. Even then, my skeleton disappeared from the tomb the moment I left the gates to Aetherius, after I confronted Martin for the last time, and left for Moonshadow. Something happened the day my body disappeared; I could not be dead, without a body to prove it. Some strange form of black magic occurred, forging a skeleton with the exact same bone marrow, and alignment of my current body."
"So, you're telling me that there are currently two of you walking around? That your body was recreated with Black magic?"
"Technically speaking, yes. Only one of me is dead. Now this is the hard part to explain. When I remembered everything, all the emotions I was going through somehow activated the skeleton. Basically, that skeleton is my other half. The half of me that should have been, technically. That also means that any damage I, or anyone else, tries to inflict upon it will injure me mentally. I'll feel the pain, but there won't actually be any injuries. It's all very hard to explain." Lauraine looked up to see Azura sitting back on her throne with a look of utmost horror upon her face, Martin stood next to her in confusion, and the male guard stood aimlessly whilst scratching his neck.
"My child, this is not the first of black magic forging to have ever happened..." Azura stood up slowly this time, casting a purpose glance towards Martin and her guard, before she started to slowly mutter daedric spells. A large, white archway opened up in the middle of the castles throne room, the stones surrounding the archway swirling in many different colours and shapes. Minutes passed, before the archway turned a soft blue colour, the slightly disorientated and certainly annoyed form of Meridia walking out stiffly.
"Why call upon me so early, Azura? What is so important, that it cannot wait until later?" The daedra looked irksome, most certainly annoyed at being called upon at the early hour.
"It is an emergency, of a sort. You are an expert on the undead you hate so much, am I right?"
"Get to the point... And yes, yes I am."
"It seems we have a little case of black magic forgery. We need a way to reverse it, to get rid of the skeleton." Azura and Lauraine both looked towards Meridia, Azura in anticipation, and Lauraine in hope. Both of their hopes plummeted at the cold cackle that fell from Meridia's lips, a look of utter delight splashed across the daedra's face.
"Oh my, there is no known way to reverse it. You will have to keep running, with the knowledge that wherever you go, that skeleton will follow you until it catches you. And when it does, then death will surely follow. Who is the forgery made of?" Meridia's eyes scanned everyone in the room, resting upon Lauraine. Lauraine locked eyes with the daedra prince, the silhouette of fear reflected in her dark blue orbs.
"My lady, I am the one who has been forged."
"Oh... Well this certainly puts a damper on things, does it not?" Meridia allowed a flicker of emotion to cross her features, before swiftly turning to Azura. "I assume you called me here to find a way to help her?"
"You assume correctly."
"Well, as I said before, there is no known way to reverse it. That skeleton can get to you at all times, because that skeleton is you. But, in favour of you, Azura, I will attempt to find a way to reverse this despicable black magic. For now, you need to keep on running." Meridia let a rare smile tug at the corners of her mouth, before leaving the room in her signature exit: Walking backwards through the portal whilst giving a sadistic bow.
Azura opened a separate portal after the first one closed, grabbing a fistful of Lauraine and Martins cloaks in each hand. Roughly shoving them both through said portal, Azura cast a small glare towards Martin, her eyes burning fiercely.
"Keep her safe you moronic mortal."
The tension, thick and burning between the two men, refused to lessen as both stared straight ahead to the metal gate. One man's jaw was clenched tightly in frustration and annoyance; the other wore an evil grin to indicate he enjoyed the awkwardness. His red eyes occasionally flickered towards Martin Septim, his mind thinking of new ways to annoy the former emperor.
"So, how long have you known Lauraine for?" Lucien entwined his fingers together as he asked this, turning in his chair to face Martin.
"Much longer than you have" Martin's reply was snappy, his irritation and intimidation hitting its peak. The fact that Lauraine had decided to send the items from Hircines world to the home of a Dark Brotherhood member irked Martin, his sense of jealously clouding his mind and causing him to give unneeded hatred towards the vampire.
"Ooh, who twisted your knickers?" Lucien smirked as his reply caused Martin to grind his back teeth loudly, a feeling of satisfaction waving over him. Martin kept his eyes locked on the metal gate, cursing Lauraine for taking so long to find a godforsaken staff, cloak and sword.
"No one, thanks for asking... I suggest you shut up right now, or-"
"Or what? Going to try and attack me with your pathetic excuse for a weapon?" Lucien indicated Martins damaged iron dagger, before pointing to his own enchanted dagger. Martin continued to grit his teeth painfully, his left eye twitching slightly.
"Seriously, you really want to shut up."
"I've known Lauraine for many years. I myself initiated her into the Dark Brotherhood. I also allowed her to be welcomed back into the family after... Your many misunderstandings." Lucien's smirk grew wider as he pressed Martins mental buttons. Martin immediately whipped around in his seat to glare at Lucien.
"How do you know how many there were? The papers only told everyone about one of them!"
"I also supplied the poison that killed her, of-"Lucien – who had moved to stand up during his latest sentence – found himself pushed up against the wall by his neck. His smirk turned evil as he unsheathed his dagger, pushing it under Martin's neck.
"You allowed her to kill herself?!" Martin's voice was rising, his anger making him oblivious to the dagger at his throat.
"Don't be stupid! That poison was to be used on you and the chambermaid. Of course, there were complications. Your little wench decided she wanted to get herself involved with big bad weapons, and allowed herself to torture Lauraine. It was the lower murderers of the Dark Brotherhood who killed your little Bosmer wench when she was walking the streets. The guards didn't seem to have a problem. Of course, I wouldn't have needed to supply the poison to Lauraine in the first place, had you managed to stay loyal to the only woman who loved you when you were nothing but a farmer's son. Of course, I myself have had an interest in the striking Breton for a very long time." Lucien grinned wickedly, before dragging his dagger lightly across Martins throat; not enough to make him bleed, but enough to sting painfully.
"You stay away from her, she's mine!" Martin tried to keep his voice from shaking, but Lucien's confession of his involvement in the death of both Lauraine and Arvwen unnerved him. Lucien's cold, murderous laugh did nothing to soothe his thoughts.
"Oh, young Septim, I think you'll find she's anything but. You really think that Lauraine will condemn herself to the same misery and mistake she made in her former life? Be serious! You shattered her trust more times than necessary, the only reason she stayed was because she was bound to you by marriage! Lauraine came running back to the brotherhood because of you, suicidal at best. I know Lauraine as much as you do, and we both know that she's not going back to you if she's in her right state of mind." Lucien's eyes bored into Martins, the cold, vicious red orbs intimidating and striking fear into Martin.
"You don't even deny it. You know the truth, yet you try your hardest to make yourself believe otherwise. You may as well face the truth." By now, Martin had Lucien pressed up right against the wall, his teeth gritting and grinding together very painfully. The cogs in his mind turned, the empty, hollow feeling temporarily halting his senses. And when that happened, Martin Septim realized something he had wished was not true: Lucien Lachance was right.
"And you have as much a chance as-"Martin was cut off by a small yelp of surprise behind them, accompanied by the clanking sound of heavy items being dropped to the floor. Martin released Lucien immediately, pulling him off the wall and pushing him to his left. Both spun around on their heels.
"Um... I understand that you two have built up sexual frustrations, and that you need a way to relive them, but could you perhaps not do that whilst I am in the area? I know you may sometimes feel like you have to go for it with each other, but please, not whilst I'm around!" Lauraine eyed them both, a caught look of laughter and annoyance playing across her features. Lucien decided to push more of Martin's buttons, doing something he would have never done in public.
"I'm so sorry Lauraine... But you see, I just couldn't resist him. I mean, look at those legs." With that, Lucien promptly ran his hand down the left side of Martins body, deliberately pinching his upper thigh. A mischievous smirk played at his lips, widening when Martin promptly jumped four steps backwards. Lauraine snorted, kneeling down to pick up the things he had dropped.
"Well, I should probably leave you two to it, except that we have a daedra prince on the verge of attacking us in a few days. Lucien, I took the liberty of rearranging the equipment in your 'wet' room. It seems that I accidentally sent them there, instead of the separate quarters."
"Wet room?" Martin raised an eyebrow towards Lucien, who simply stared at him like he was an idiot.
"Torture room, murder room, general guts and killing room. Blood room to you." Lucien moved past Lauraine to release the lock on the trapdoor leading out from the fort. Pulling down the rope ladders with a long stick, he moved sideways to allow Martin and Lauraine past.
"Thankyou Lucien, I owe you big-time."
The cloak, the sword and the staff. Lauraine currently held only one of these items. She held the staff firmly in both her hands, repeatedly muttering the incantations under her breath. Certain that the field just outside Anvil was the destined location for the portal which would allow the werewolves to enter Cyrodiil, Lauraine stood with many soldiers from the rebuilt Kvatch and Anvil, with a few soldiers from the Imperial Legion just outside the south western end of the border to Hammerfell.
Martin was in possession of the blade, which – the use for it only recently figured out – had the ability to kill the creatures from the Hunting Grounds in quicker swipes than a normal sword. Martin was in a small field outside Morrowind, with a selection of soldiers from the Imperial City and Cheydinhal respectively.
As for the cloak, a legion captain was in possession of that particular item just outside the border to Elsweyr with soldiers from Leyawiin and Bravil; Lauraine had correctly guessed that it was to be used to protect the wearer from destruction magic, useful for when it came to the portal with only the element soldiers from the Hunting grounds. As for the final portal that would open at the border to Skyrim, there were few soldiers from Chorrol, Bruma and the Imperial city. Hopefully, as the soldiers who would emerge from there would not be that dangerous except for their use of the sword, not a lot of mages were needed there.
Snapping her head up at the low rumbling sound of a portal being opened, Lauraine cast her eyes to a portal she hadn't seen in years. The archway taking in a form of many twisted vines wrapping around each other forming the thick, maze way of an arch. Many glowing eyes peeked through small gaps in these vines, inanimate yet still threatening.
In the moment that the inside of the arch filled out with a dark green light, a thousand werewolves emerged from within, teeth bared and ready to attack.