There seemed to be a thick smog overhanging Solitude as Ljotur and the Guard walked hastily through the city. The paths were deserted and the city seemed almost dead. There would be a flicker of light occasionally as someone would open their curtains, peer down at the pair, and then rush off somewhere else. It was a strange scene – a great city, usually bustling with merchants, thieves, traders and the like, reduced to deserted streets. The smog seemed to get thicker as they passed the graveyard, and there was a distinct smell of blazing flesh.
"Burning your dead I see." Ljotur murmured, just loud enough for the guard to hear over the frequent sobs and cries from the graveyard.
"It's not the best thing to do, but it's better than the bodies being left in the street."
"It got into the city?"
"No, but a few people came out the main gate to see what happened, and, well, we were ordered to shut the gates – immediately. They were still out when they shut, so that's how they…" The Guard trailed off, leaving his sentence unfinished. There was what could've been a slight sob from under his helmet.
"It's OK. I understand if you don't want to talk about it. But, can I ask, were you out there when it came?"
A few moments passed, before the Guard answered with a short, sharp reply,
"No, but I should've been."
The remaining walk was a brisk, uneasy one. Neither the guard nor Ljotur spoke on the way to the palace. The domes on top of the Blue Palace cast large shadows over the courtyard as the sun set in the distance, and a cool breeze blew a scattering of leaves around. The pair wandered under the archway and through the doors of the palace. Inside, it was quite the opposite of the coolness of the courtyard. The temperature was warm, but not too warm, and there was a faint smell of incense coming from somewhere upstairs. A few guards dotted around the entrance hall turned their heads to see who had entered, and, after noticing the accompanying guard, returned to their previous position. To the left Ljotur could see a long corridor which lead to the palace kitchens, along with another stair case which ascended to the upper floors, and to the right there was a large chest, seemingly empty, accompanied by a sturdy door with a guard on either side. Ljotur approached the door, and was about to enter when the two guards blocked the way.
"Stop. You must leave your weapons here before entering," She indicated the chest, "Also, I would consider it wise to lower your hood."
Reluctantly, Ljotur pulled down his hood and placed his weapons into the chest. He ruffled his hair and brushed some loose strands from his eyes. The guards parted, and Ljotur – now alone – entered the Pelagius Wing.
It was a large room inside, dimly lit by a few candles, the air was stale and the few furnishings in the room (a round table, several chairs and a cracked bench) looked as though they'd never seen the light of day. The same could be said for the pale body which lay on the floor at the end of the room on some rags, covered by a thin blanket – He couldn't tell if they were alive or not. The tall, slender woman sitting at the table looked up briefly as the door shut and then locked behind Ljotur. With a quill in one hand she indicated to a chair one away from hers, there were a few documents on the table for him, kept together in a leather file. He sat, picked up the file, and opened it. Ljotur skimmed through the documents, there were some sketches, recorded interviews, and at the back, a list of the deceased and missing victims.
"I recognise this man," Ljotur pointed to a sketch of a broad-shouldered man probably in his early twenties, with what looked like black hair and thick, but well kept, eyebrows. He was smiling in the sketch, and had his arms around a young girl. There was some general information next to the sketch, and a small, blue M in the top left of the sketch."He was the one who told me what had happened – or where it happened, rather. He is in Riverwood."
Ljotur paused, before adding, "If he lives with family, get someone to keep an eye on him near the full moon."
The woman looked up, "Why? Was he bitten?"
"No, just scratched. He's not as likely to turn – scratches only have a twenty-five percent chance of actually infecting anyone, a bite would be about ninety percent. I believe bites are worse because of the saliva. It seems the only reasonable explanation."
She took a fresh piece of paper, wrote out a short letter, folded it and wrote 'Riverwood Jail' on the back before getting up and sliding it halfway under the door, giving two sharp knocks and returning to her seat. The letter was pulled out from the other side. Ljotur slid the file across the table to her, and she scored out the M, and scrawled a small, black H next to it.
"I've ordered him to be locked up on the night of the full moon."
"Oh-" To Ljotur it seemed a bit extreme, due to the chances of him actually shifting. But then again, it was better than the whole town dying because of one misjudgement. "Ok. You have to promise me he won't be killed though – if he does change."
"I'm not promising you anything. I do not even know your name."
"And I barely know yours. I'm Ljotur."
"Elisif the Fair. Elisif is fine."
The pair shook hands, and quietly began discussing the attack.
Blood trickled down her leg as Alixya groped and stumbled through the forest. She would hear the occasional drip as the blood fell and hit the ground. Even with the forest canopy, the sun beat down on her pounding head and caused Alixya to sway and tumble. Her vision was blurred, and her palms and forehead were covered in sweat and river water. She struggled onwards for several hours, before collapsing from exhaustion against a large willow tree.
A breeze pushed through the dangling leaves and cooled her, and there was the rushing of a river and bustle of a city nearby. Gradually her breathing began to ease and her scratches and cuts healed over. On her leg there were still two small punctures from where a Frostbite spider had bitten her in the swamp, her hands were covered in its blood as she had lost all her weapons at the waterfall. They slowly healed over, and as they did so a thick, black liquid oozed out of them. It smelled foul.
Once the venom was out, and the punctures healed, her headache seized and the sweating slowed. She wiped her palms on the grass and, using the willow for support, arose to her feet. She collapsed back down, then a few minutes later she tried again. She got up, released her grip from the tree, stood swaying for a few moments, before falling down again. Her hand shot out to the tree for grip, and there was a cracking and splintering sound of wood. She opened her eyes and leaned with her back against the tree. She peered at her hands, and at the tip of each finger was a jet black claw – each of which had left a mark in the bark. As she watched them, they receded back into human nails and returned to their normal transparent colour. Alixya sighed, and sat back down. She was so hungry, so thirsty, so tired…
The world seemed to fade into darkness - the smells and sounds vanished along with the hunger and thirst.
She woke up. It was pitch black, and the breeze which had been blowing earlier had turned into a strong, icy wind. The damp robes clung to her pale, shivering body, and the sounds of the river and forest seemed far more alive. Alixya stood up – without the aid of the tree – and looked around. The willow tree sheltered her from battering rain, and all around her the trees swayed. The forest floor was scattered with rolling twigs and leaves, and in the distance some skeevers retreated into a burrow. There was a sweet smell coming from nearby, she couldn't quite place it. Alixya pulled her hood up, and followed the scent.
A while later she came to a dimly lit cabin. Rain water drizzled down the windows and droplets bounced off the roof. A small set of stairs led up to a front door, and there was a little window next to it. The sweet smell had mostly gone now, but it was still there. It was so nice. Alixya crept up the stairs and onto the small deck. There was a thin mat outside the door, and a metal door knocker shaped like a lion with two skeevers in its mouth – their tails intertwining. She was about to peer through the small window when she caught her reflection in the mirror – pale skin, dark bags under her glowing amber eyes, and then strangest of all, a thick line of fur seemed to outline her face, she looked down at her hands and arms, thick fur lined them too. She smiled to herself.
Nice try, but I'm still freezing.
She stood under the shelter for a while, rubbing her arms to warm up, and the fur gradually disappeared. After checking her reflection again, Alixya reached out for the door knob, and tried to grasp for her bow – which she no longer had. She sighed, then reached up for the knocker instead. She knocked it three times, then waited. Finally a small amount of light was visible through the window, and there was the sound of a bolt sliding. The door opened a little, and a young nord peered through a crack. He had medium length, dark brown hair and deep brown eyes set back from the rest of his face. His jaw was sharp and square, and his shoulders were narrow but muscular. A black tunic and some thin, plain shorts were all he wore. He eyed Alixya up, then shut the door again, slid a chain across, and opened the door enough to see in. The warm air flooded out of the house, and then the man spoke first.
"Sorry, but if you're here to talk about the Thalmor, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"What? Oh. No, these aren't mine."
"You are the one wearing them."
"I am, but I got them off – look, it's a long story."
A few moments passed, and she began to shiver again. Alixya started to rub her arms again. The man sighed, "Do you want to spend the rest of the night here?"
"That would be great."
He swung the door open and Alixya stepped inside. The warmth was relaxing, and she quickly stopped shivering. In the main room of the house were some wooden benches, each with a few cushions, a small end table, a large decorative rug, and some dining space. Above them was a single sleeping area, which was accessible from a ladder, and there were three doors leading off of the room. The man shut and locked the door behind him, then walked over to a kitchen area. He open one of the cupboards and took out some bread, and a bottle of orange liquid, and put them on the small table. He then disappeared into the furthest of the three rooms and reappeared with a thick blanket, a plain blouse, and some black trousers. He lowered his voice, "I sleep up there," he pointed up to the small sleeping area, "My sons sleep in those two rooms. If you need any more blankets there are a couple in that end room. Here are some spare clothes for tonight while your others dry. You can sleep on the bench or rug – sorry I don't have anywhere better for you."
"That's fine, thank you."
She sat down on the bench and began to eat the bread. The man began to climb the ladder. He stopped halfway and added, "I forgot to say, would it be alright for you to be out by seven? My boys get up around eight. There's a shower outside if you need one."
"What time is it now?"
He glanced over to a dwarven looking clock, "Half twelve."
"Yes I'll be gone."
He continued up the ladder and was soon fast asleep. Alixya finished the bread then got changed. Finally she opened up the bottle which the man had left. The sweet smell from earlier wafted up her nostrils. She quickly drunk the whole bottle and silently got another. Soon after she was fast asleep on the rug.
Sorry for no uploads! I've gotten back into it now and can't wait to write another paragraph! :D
Hope you all enjoy this and again, sorry! ;-;
*EDIT* I added a bit more detail to the new male character – his name will be in the next chapter, which I am currently writing! ^_^