Chapter 16: At Last We Meet

Emelin...

The cool air pricked my skin and I pulled the blanket closer to myself. My body was stiff and there was a loss of feeling in both my fingers and toes. I coughed, the sourness in my throat eased. My eyes flickered and gradually opened. At first all I saw was black, but my eyes soon adjusted to the lack of light. It took me a moment to realise that I recognised the room I was in. It was exactly like the rooms in the Chantry, back at the Forgotten Vale.

"How did I get here?" I whispered.

My robes were beside me but they weren't in any state to be worn. There was a thin shirt with a fur pelt on the back and around the shoulders that joined at the neckline and a pair of pants on the other end of the bed. I quickly changed into them and searched for my belongings. To my surprise they weren't there. My dagger had disappeared as well as my spare clothes, food and potions.

I pursed my lips. "Where are my-?"

The door opened and an elf stepped through. I gasped.

His lips moved but I didn't hear him speak. My eyes were transfixed on the taller mer in both shock and awe. The corners of his mouth twitched and his thin eyebrows lowered, almost so that they covered his light blue eyes. He spoke again and I shook my head.

"I-I'm sorry, what?"

His elven armour clanked as he moved closer. "I said, how are you faring, dunmer?"

"I'm fine." I replied cautiously.

The mer tilted his head, as if confused. "Did I say something wrong? I've never come across one of your kind before so I'm sorry if I said anything offensive." He bowed his head. "I am Nirithur."

"Nirithur?" What a strange name. "I'm Emelin. Emelin Alden."

"A pleasure, Emelin Alden. I hope you don't mind me asking but, do you remember anything about what happened before you gained consciousness? Any earlier memories?"

My fingers twitched. "I-" I remembered the crevice, the darkness that surrounded me and then... no air... it was hard to breath. "I was in water."

His features softened. "Yes. You fell into the cave's river and it was I that pulled you to safety."

So he was the man I saw. "You saved me?"

"Yes."

"I... thank you, but I'm sure I could have swam back without your help. I've been in worse situations than that."

He didn't show any surprise by that. He merely shook his head."You wouldn't have been able to swim in the condition you were in." He glanced from me to my leg. "There was a mark on your leg were one of the creatures cut you. I believe the creatures used Chaurus poison on their weapon. Don't worry, it wouldn't have killed you, only paralysed you for a short time. When you fell into the water the poison was starting to effect you. Believe me, you would not have made it to the river bank."

I looked down at my leg and found that he was right. I gave a small smile. "Thank you again then."

He bowed his head. "You're welcome."

Before I could ask him any questions, he gestured to the door. "Please, follow me."

"Why?" I asked.

"It's not my place to say but please follow me."

I knew better than to refuse and hesitantly left the room.

The corridor was quiet. White lights shimmered against the walls and there were symbols carved into the stone floor. I followed Nirithur down a long flight of steps which led to a wooden door, twice the size that I was. Two other snow elves cladded in elvish armour stopped us and one of them brought his mace up to my face.

The snow elf spoke but I couldn't understand him. Nirithur quickly put his hand on the snow elf's mace and moved it away.

"We are expected."

The guard looked from him to me and then lowered his weapon. "As you wish."

Nirithur turned to me. "Follow my lead. Only speak when you're spoken to."

I bit the inside of my cheek. "What's going to happen?"

The mer sighed. "My lord wishes to speak with you. Strangers in our land are rare and he's curious about you. Just mind what you say to him. He's already suspicious of you."

"What? Why? What did I do?"

The door opened and I stared at the vast hall.

Nirithur nudged me forward.

The two guards at the door grabbed my arms and started to pull me down the aisle of people. At first I struggled against them but it only made their hold on me tighten.

I was shocked that there were many snow elves in the stone hall and that they all turned to face me. I noticed that there were statues on either side of the throne I was heading to. A fine layer of ice covered the steps up to where the lord sat. His grey eyes, hidden under dark circles, looked at me intently. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. In his hand was the dwarven dagger that I found in the ruined village and I knew by the way his old hands tightened around it that he was angry.

The guards stopped and pushed me to the floor.

The muttering between the other snow elves silenced and their lord slowly stood. "Tell me, how did a dunmer such as yourself find this place?" The elder mer asked, his voice low and hoarse.

I looked between him and the other snow elves, unsure of where to begin or if what I saw was real. "I-"

"I found her in one of the underground rivers. She was fighting one of the fallen members of our people. She would have drowned if it wasn't for my help." Nirithur interrupted, which gained the attention of the snow elf lord.

The lord stroked his beard in thought. "I see, and do tell me why I should not have her killed."

A chill ran down my spine and on instinct my hands started to glow with magic.

"And why would you want to kill her at all?"

The snow elf lord looked down at the dagger. "Dunmer, how did you come to be in possession of this weapon?"

I coughed and tried to stand, only to have one of the guards grab my shoulder and force me back down. "I found it in a ruined village not too far from here. It was in one of the houses."

"I see."

"Preposterous!" Someone yelled among the crowd. The mer strode over to the throne and sneered in my direction. "My lord, you can't possibly believe such a pathetic attempt of a lie."

Nirithur frowned. "Artanor, what are you talking about?"

"Just because you found her does not mean she is not a dwemer spy!" Artanor yelled and then turned to Nirithur. "Why were you in the caves in the first place, Nirithur?"

He stilled.

"Where you down there in another idiotic attempt to befriend one of the twisted creatures?"

"Those 'twisted creatures' can be reasoned with if you try hard enough. Of course you wouldn't understand." Nirithur barked back. "Why I was there is irrelevant. What matters is that I saved her life."

"Enough!" The lord yelled. Both of the snow elves jumped back. "I do not care why you went down there, nor do I care for your petty arguments. Dunmer, tell me, what brought you to our lands?"

I bit my lip. "My friends and I came here from Skyrim after we found a journal that belonged to one of your people. We followed the map in it."

"A journal?" The lord repeated curiously. "And where is this journal now?"

"I-" That's when I remembered Gelebor had it. I silently cursed the divines. "I don't have it anymore."

Artanor smirked. "You see? It is all a lie. I say behead her and have done with it."

My eyes widened at the threat. "Wait, you don't want to do that!"

"And why is that?"

"I came here with two others and my dog. One of them is a snow elf. He had the journal."

That got the lord's attention. He stepped closer to me. "You know another one of my people?"

I nodded. "Yes. He's my friend. He helped me get here."

Artanor scoffed. "That is impossible. We haven't been in contact with the rest of our people for centuries. The Dwemer have probably enslaved them all."

I shook my head. "He was part of a group that managed to isolate themselves from the rest of nirn. No one knew his people were there."

"And where is your friend now, dunmer?" The snow elf lord asked.

I looked down at my feet. "I... I don't know. When the betrayed took me, I got seperated from him and my other friend."

"I see."

"My lord," Nirithur said, "perhaps we should send some men out to try and find these people. Surely if they are found that would prove her innocence."

"What? You cannot be serious. Not only would it be a waste of time but it could also alert the Dwemer of our survival! Come now Nirithur, even you can't be that stupid, or are you?" Artanor spat, but the snow elf lord held his hand up, which silenced them both.

He took a long look at me before he spoke. "We have not had sightings of the dwemer in over four centuries. We have sent patrols out before and the Dwemer have not found us. Finding another one of our kin is worth the risk."

Artanor crossed his arms. "My lord, you are making a mistake! We cannot trust what she says."

The snow elf ignored him and motioned Nirithur over. "Since you have so much interest in this dunmer, perhaps she should be in your custody for the time being. You did, after all, save her life, for now anyway."

Nirithur took one look at me before he nodded. "Of course."

"Good. Now leave."

Nirithur bowed his head and touched my back in an attempt to get me to move. I had to admit I was more than confused about what happened and had plenty of questions I wanted answered.

Once we got back to the room I had woke up in, Nirithur ran a hand through his shoulder-length hair and leant against the wall. "That went better than I anticipated."

"What do you mean?"

"To be honest I thought you weren't going to make it out of there alive. It is like I said, we have not had strangers visit us for a long time. The last one left a... let's say a bad impression that has made us distrust outsiders. The dwarven dagger you had also did not help."

"Why do you trust me?" I asked curiously. He willingly defended me and yet I had only just met him.

He sighed. "When I first found you, I saw the state you were in. Any spy of the Dwemer would know the creatures in the caves and would have been able to defend themselves. It was obvious that you didn't know about them and that was why they were able to get you. I don't trust you, but I do believe you are innocent. For now, that is enough for me."

"So, what happens now?"

He pointed to my robes. "Collect your clothes. Your other belongings will be at my house. For now you are to stay with me until the scouts come back with news of your friends, if what you said was true, of course."

"It is true." I said and gathered my things. "I just hope they're alright."