I walked along the dirt beaten path, looking around at the melancholy scene. Everything was painted in a dim grey haze with twisting, menacing roots rising out of the ground. I grunted as I tripped over a root for the eighteenth time.

"This is a real pain in the ass.." I mumbled to myself as I stepped over another root.

I kept walking along, accidentally bumping into a purple skinned, light armored clad woman who drew her sword and just barely poked me in the abdomen. I put my sword and shield up, a sure sign of surrender.

"Forgive me citizen, I just fought a Grummite." She said scornfully and sheathed her sword.

"It's no problem, but could you point me in the way of Crucible?" I asked politely.

She pointed up the path which was clad in more grey haze.

"It's just up this hill here. You might see it at first, but you must go around to get to the entrance."

I nodded and continued. Walking along the path I noticed that the roots grew thinner and slightly less dangerous, so I assumed I was getting closer. I approached a winding path and followed it, soon finding myself at the doors of what I assumed to be Crucible. The guard at the door rolled her eyes and pushed open the huge wooden door. I mumbled a 'thank you' and went inside. It seemed that all the guard around here are female. As I made my way around, I noticed that everything was just like the outside, bleak and dim. The people of Crucible were slightly twitchy and a bit suspicious. That didn't surprise me, demented people are usually either violent or suspicious. I approached a guard who gave me a disgusted look.

"Excuse me, could you tell me which way the castle is?" I asked, mustering the last of my patience.

She pointed to a nearby staircase.

"Just up those stairs, through the double doors, then head left, then straight up another flight of stairs, and enter through the door."

"Thanks." I replied and followed her instructions. I went up the stairs and opened the double doors into the courtyard, which was beautiful. Everything was green and there were two rows of fires going, one blue and the other a normal reddish-orange.

I went inside the door, seeing that everything was dark from where I was standing, but there were two men inside, one sitting and clapping, there other standing to his left.

"Come in child, come in!" A voice cried hysterically.

I cocked an eyebrow, but walked down some steps and made my way to the strange man, who was clapping and giggling. When he saw me, he stopped. He had yellow eyes with black, cat-like slits. He also has snow white hair with a grey and white bushy beard. He didn't look old at all to me. I guessed he was in his thirties or forties. That, or he had a great skin care regiment.

"Well, look what we have here! A new arrival! I heard what ye've done to meh gatekeeper! What a shame." He cried in a heavy Scottish accent.

I cocked an eyebrow at Haskill, the man to his left, but he simply shrugged.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Sheogorath." I said, not knowing what else to do.

"Yes yes, nice to meet you too, blah, BORING!"

That was totally random..

"Let's fight!" He cried, standing up.

"Err, what?" I replied, stepping back.

"Fight! You're the first one to make it this far, so we have to fight so I know you're really fit to be my champion!"

"But I don't want to--"

Before I could finish, I was hit hard and knocked down by what felt like a rock. I sat up and noticed that it was actually his fist. He jumped and clapped like a little girl and balanced a cane in his palm.

"If you want to be my champion, you're going to have to do better than that pumpkin."

Fine. Here goes nothing…again. I got up and brushed myself off, carefully drawing my sword. I charged at him, attempting to stab him, which failed miserably. He grabbed the hilt of my sword and twisted, twisting my arm with it. I quickly turned around and elbowed him in the solar plexus, causinh him to double back. I was not weak. I was anything but weak. He recovered quickly and pushed me back, causing me to fall down the stairs that lay in front of his throne. My grey hair was mess as I ran into the hallway surrounding his throne. I stopped to see if we he was catching up when I was slammed into the wall.

"I got you." He said dangerously low as he pushed me into the wall again.

I cried in agony as I felt the air slowly being leaked out of me. I struggled in his grasp and he merely pushed me back more.

"Please.." I barely croaked.

He smiled slghtly. Well, they don't call him the Prince of Madness for nothing, now do they? I remembered my training in the fighters guild and gathered my legs to my chest. He was pushing me so hard that he was keeping me up. I kicked him back and fell to the ground, quickly scrambling up and drawing another sword. He grabbed my wrist and twisted, but I simply twisted along with him and wrenched my hand free. I slashed him across the cheek and gasped. How could I have harmed the Prince of Madness? A daedric god, no less! He looked at me, and I watched as his deep wound burned away into nothing. The blood still trickled down his cheek.

"Let me help you." I whispered and drew a clean white linen and wiped his cheek.

"I don't need a mortal's help." He hissed.

My eyes grew sad as I withdrew my hand. I hurt him, so now I want to help him. Why won't he let me?

I followed him back to the throne as Haskill approached me, taking my cloth away. I wanted to reach for it, feeling Sheogorath's warm blood against my fingertips, to feel his life upon my flesh, but Haskill wouldn't allow it.

"Forgive him, he's incredibly stubborn." He said quietly.

I looked over Haskill's shoulder as Sheogorath laid in his throne, wiping away the blood that remained on his cheek.

"I know." I replied.

That was a lie. I didn't know. I didn't know a damned thing about Sheogorath, or the Shivering Isles in general. I was a lost girl, looking for a light to guide me.

As much as I hated to admit it, it seemed apparent to me that Sheogorath was to be that light.