A cloak of darkness hung over the city of Windhelm, a faint mist suspended in the frigid air. Leola was shivering, despite the warm fur clothes that Ulfric had given her to wear that evening. In her hands was the great warhammer, Volendrung, and she crept as quietly through the streets as she could. It had been her suggestion to fetch it in the middle of the night – she didn't want anyone asking about it, not having been a fan of the stares she had received the day that she departed with Molag Bal's cursed mace.
Her blue eyes flitted upwards momentarily, just long enough to catch a glimpse of a shadow seeming to dart its way from one rooftop to the next. A sigh escaped her lips. She had asked Aventus not to come, but it seemed he had found his own way to keep an eye on her with the help of his nimble stealth.
She rounded a corner and jumped slightly, seeing an unfamiliar Khajiit man standing there, facing the wall. She froze as he turned to her, a slight smile on his weathered face. He wore tattered and grimy clothes and there was a scarf around his head much like the ones the Redguards wore.
"Ahh, you are the Princess Leola, yes?" he asked, speaking in a low and gentle voice that had almost a feline purr to it.
"I – yes," she stammered nervously. "Who are you?"
"I am Kesh," answered the Khajiit. "I was sent by my master, the Lord Peryite. The blighted Lord wished for Kesh to speak with the new princess."
Leola's blue eyes widened with surprise. "Peryite sent you?" she asked, and the elderly Khajiit gave her a nod.
"Yes…He understands that you seek something of His, and that you have something of His to exchange for it," said Kesh, and Leola gave the man a smile.
"So it's that simple? If I give him the shield, he'll give me the soul gem fragment?" she asked, and Kesh nodded.
"Yes…My Lord sees little use for you at this moment in time. Your mother – yes, Kesh met your mother, wonderful lady – she helped my Lord by ridding Him of some followers who had lost their way…that is how she was given the Taskmaster's shield, but He has no such task for the princess to prove her worthiness, so He simply asks Kesh to bring back the shield," said the Khajiit. Leola had never met a Khajiit before, and she couldn't help but to smile slightly at the way he spoke in third person so often. She wasn't sure if it was just him being odd, being a Daedric worshipper and all, or if all Khajiit did it, but she had certainly read of them doing it, so perhaps it was all of them.
"Do you have the soul gem fragment with you?" she asked, but the Khajiit shook his head.
"No…my Lord only wished that I find out whether or not you were willing to make the deal. You will have to come and visit the Peryite's shrine to make the trade," he said, and Leola nodded.
"Fair enough," she replied, smiling at him. "Where is Peryite's shrine?"
"North-West of Karthwasten, on a mountain. I hope to see you there soon," Kesh said, and Leola gave a slight shrug.
"We're actually setting out on a trip to visit all the Daedric princes in turn and seek out their pieces of the soul gem," she said softly. "I'll put you on the map though and we'll stop and see you when we pass by, though. We'll have the shield for sure."
Kesh smiled slyly, giving a nod. "Certainly, princess," he replied with a slight bow. "Thank you for giving Kesh your time…you know where to find me."
"I do," said Leola with a grin. "Thank you very much for coming, Kesh."
With that, the Khajiit turned and began to walk away. She could see his tail protruding from his clothing, and she smiled to herself, firmly gripping the large hammer in her cold hands. A faint swoosh sound came from behind her, and she knew in an instant that it must be Aventus, dropping down from his rooftop perch.
"Who was that?" asked her friend's voice behind her, and she turned to face him. He was clad all in black and red, a hood over his dark hair and a mask covering his face. All she could see of him were his dark brown eyes, looking intently at her. She had to admit that seeing him with the hood and mask was pretty sexy, even though she was with Erith, and he was with Minette.
"He said his name was Kesh," Leola answered. "Peryite sent him."
"I know, I heard," said Aventus, and Leola gave him a quizzical look. "I just wanted to see what you'd say."
"You're such a problem," Leola said teasingly, giggling softly as the pair began walking towards the palace.
"I've been thinking," said Aventus, and Leola smirked.
"That's never a good thing," she said teasingly, and he rolled his eyes.
"We need to go back to Hjerim sooner or later and speak with Mephala again," he said. "We might be able to get everything sorted out with her here and now, rather than having her still on our list."
"I'm not sure I want to know what she wants me to do though," Leola replied in a soft voice. "Not after what happened the last time I spoke to her…"
"Leola, you need to forgive yourself," said Aventus, suddenly stepping in front of her and gripping her shoulders. "Erith has forgiven you, hasn't she?"
"Well, yes," Leola mumbled, slowly turning her head away, but he caught her chin and forced her to face him.
"Forgive yourself, Leola. It wasn't your fault. You've done no one any harm because of it, so just let it go. Next time you'll be prepared. Next time we won't let her get to you. Next time will be different, but there won't be a next time if you aren't willing to try." Aventus's dark eyes gazed intently into Leola's and she bit her lip slightly, wanting to shy away but unable to with him holding her there.
"I know you're right," Leola said softly, and Aventus let go of her, taking a small step back.
"Sleep on it," he said softly. "In the morning we'll see about heading to Hjerim. Let's get back to the castle now."
Leola nodded slightly and resumed her walk. Aventus walked alongside her, patiently matching his pace to hers.
"Why are you here?" she asked him softly. "I asked you not to come."
"Your father didn't particularly approve of that decision," he replied. "I hate to say it but your request to go alone was defeated by the King's request for you to be accompanied. He is the King, after all."
"I know," Leola said softly, smiling. She shivered slightly, looking at him. "Is your outfit warm?" she asked curiously, and he nodded.
"It is," he replied. "And yours?"
"Not as warm as it needs to be," she replied softly, shaking her head. "It's cold out."
"It's always cold out," said Aventus. "You'll get used to it. I know it's not as mild as Falkreath is. It's much colder in Dawnstar and Winterhold though – and I spend much of my time in Dawnstar, so it's actually rather mild here for me."
"That's not comforting while I'm here freezing," said Leola, and Aventus smiled slightly.
"Would you like me to hold the hammer so you can warm your fingers up?" he asked, outstretching his hands, and Leola nodded. She gently handed over the massive hammer and tucked her fingers under her arms, shivering slightly.
"Thank you," she said softly. "Let's just get back to the palace."
The two walked along mostly in silence. Aventus didn't talk much once he had expressed what needed to be said, so once he was done talking, he tended to stay quiet. Leola enjoyed simply having his company. The presence of Aventus gave her a sense of security that none of the others did, not even Erith. Perhaps it was his brotherly love for her, or the fact that she viewed him as the most skillful fighter of the group, or perhaps it was none of those. Perhaps it was many things combined.
He laid a soft kiss on her forehead when they reached the palace before leaving, heading to his own house in Windhelm. He returned the hammer to Leola and she took it with her to her room, where she would keep it until morning when they left for Riften. It was rather heavy, though not as heavy as she had expected it to be the first time she saw it mounted on the wall in Hjerim.
She opened her bedroom door and jumped slightly, seeing Erith inside. A handful of candles had been lit, while the main lamps were left extinguished so that her room was filled only with the dim, flickering golden glow of the candles. Erith sat on the bed, patiently waiting for Leola, clad in a pretty dress of white satin and lace. The neckline dove low and the skirt rode up high, and there was a smile on her pretty lips.
"Erith!" Leola exclaimed, quickly closing the door behind her as her lover rose to her feet.
"I have a surprise for you, my darling" Erith said softly, moving forward and taking the massive hammer. Leola was quiet as the brunette propped the weapon up in the corner, blushing as she saw the lacy skirt of Erith's little nightgown fluttering up to reveal her upper thighs.
"What's your surprise?" Leola asked in a soft voice as Erith turned to face her again, and the Breton moved forward, unclasping the fur cloak that was draped over the blonde's shoulders.
"You'll see," she murmured, leaning in and pressing her lips to Leola's in a long, passionate kiss.