When Leola awoke, it was to the sound of yelling and shouting from the great hall.
Her gaze flew to the window, seeing that the daylight poured in, and she wondered what time it was. One of the shouting voices was certainly her father's, and the other one, she suspected, was Aventus.
She rushed to get dressed, putting on the new armour that had just been finished for her by Agatar and Merinna's parents. It was comfortable, consisting of a form-fitting leather top and matching trousers, a skirt with some plating on it, and iron pauldrons to cover her shoulders. She pulled on her boots before quickly rushing from her room, heading down to the throne room.
"You are not taking Leola anywhere," Ulfric barked from down the hallway, and she cringed. Of course it was him and Aventus.
"Just because I'm at odds with you doesn't mean I want to help Leola any less, and Talos forbid that it should make me want to hurt her!" Aventus shouted back. The assassin was dressed in his form-fitting Dark Brotherhood outfit, black with red leather accessories and tall boots. His hood was drawn back, a pair of daggers glinted at his waist, and the Wabbajack – which he must have fetched from Hjerim – was strapped across his back.
"If you're trying to help, then what's stopping Erith or Shelur from going with her?" Ulfric shouted back, and at that moment, Leola reached them.
"Because I asked him to, that's why," she exclaimed, moving quickly to stand between them. Her gaze fell on her father first and foremost. "Aventus has never been anything less than a friend to me, and I trust him wholeheartedly. The two of you arguing and bickering like children won't change that."
Ulfric fell silent as he gazed down at his daughter. A deep sigh left his lips and he took a step back, seating himself again in his throne.
"Very well," he said. "When you reach Dawnstar, will you deliver something to Jarl Banner-Torn for me?"
Leola looked towards Aventus, who gave her an expectant look in return. She shifted her gaze back towards her father and nodded slightly. "We can do that," she said softly. Ulfric nodded, rising wordlessly from his throne and heading off in the direction of his room, presumably to fetch the item he needed delivered to the Jarl of Dawnstar.
"I'm sorry you had to intervene," Aventus said softly. "I wasn't trying to start anything, I simply figured it best – most respectful – that I let him know where we were headed, he didn't seem to agree."
Leola sighed, shaking her head. "It's both of you, Aventus," she said. "You're mad because you don't see him taking…what happened, as seriously as you are. He's mad because he's trying to help you but you're being stubborn and disrespectful."
"Leola's right," came a voice, and Leola whirled around just in time to see Bottar walk in. He looked exhausted, with slight bags under half-shut eyes and tangled, tousled brown hair. "He needs to acknowledge that you can take this however you need to, and you need to accept that he's just trying to help. That's all."
Leola smiled sadly, moving forward and wrapping her arms around Bottar in a gentle hug. "Are you alright?" she asked him gently. She went to pull back from the hug, but his arms were firm enough around her that she couldn't quite draw away. His arms were shaking slightly and she nestled herself against him comfortingly, realizing that obviously he needed this.
"I don't know," he admitted softly. His face rested against her shoulder and she held him gently, as if he was a little brother who needed comforting rather than an older and larger friend.
The three were silent until Ulfric returned, at which point Bottar drew back from the hug. Leola turned to her father, who handed her a small, lightweight pouch. She was curious as to what was inside, but knew better than to open it.
"Be safe," Ulfric said, enveloping his daughter in a firm hug. She hugged her father back, smiling.
"Of course," she replied as she pulled back, smiling.
Aventus stepped forward, looking towards Ulfric. "You have my word that she will be safe," he said softly. Ulfric gave a slight nod before looking away.
"I know that she will be," answered the King. With that, Leola turned and made her way to Aventus's side, and the two began towards the door, exchanging encouraging smiles.
Morvunskar was only a bit further from Windhelm than Boethiah's shrine had been, and after a short while of walking, Leola felt a rush of relief flood through her as they neared the doors of the massive fortress. Aventus slowed to a stop and Leola did the same, looking over at him.
"Sanguine wanted you to come alone," Aventus said softly. "I'm not sure that I should go in with you."
Leola paused thoughtfully, looking towards her friend. "What if…I leave the door open behind me and you sneak in shortly after? In case anything goes wrong?" she suggested.
Aventus paused thoughtfully, smiling slightly as he looked down at her. "I have to admit, that's actually a good idea," he teased gently, giving her a nod. "Alright. You go ahead. You probably won't be able to see me even after I enter, but don't worry – I promise that I'll be right there."
Leola smiled up at him as he unstrapped the Wabbajack from across his back, handing it to her. She gripped it firmly in one hand, even though she knew that it would be of no use to her if she wandered into any kind of altercation.
Pushing open the heavy wooden door, Leola slipped inside. The door scraped against the stone floor of the fort as she opened it. She was surprised that it didn't fall shut behind her on its own, but also relieved. It seemed that the door was in too much of a state of disrepair to do as it was meant to.
She began to walk along, down a short hallway. The place was filled with cobwebs and with every few steps the Nord could hear bugs scattering about to escape her. As she walked through the fort, navigating nervously and peering around every corner, she couldn't help but wonder whether Aventus was behind her – she heard nothing, even in the deathly silence of the fortress, and whenever she turned her head to look, she also saw nothing.
Skeletons, bones, and rubble littered the floors of every chamber she entered, and she wondered what the fort had been like when her mother was here. Surely her mother had been there at some point, after all, whether to visit Sanguine or to battle enemies. Her mother seemed to have been everywhere.
She was barely paying attention to where she was walking – she had opened some doors, rounded some corners, and made use of some stairs here and there – when she found herself stopping dead in her tracks. The chamber at the top of the stairs before her was filled with a strange blue magic that shimmered and pulsed. Was this where she was meant to come? She tentatively began to draw nearer, slowing to a stop and looking nervously around.
"Go ahead," she heard Aventus's voice whisper. She whirled around, unable to see him anywhere nearby and unsure where his voice had even come from. If there was anyone she trusted, though, it was Aventus – and so, she continued forward.
At the top of the stairs, the magic became almost blinding and she had to shut her eyes. She took another step and suddenly, the stone beneath her shoes felt differently. There was more give to it. It felt almost squishier. And something about the air, too – it felt fresher. Even the smell of it had changed. This was definitely some kind of magic.
She let her eyes flutter open slightly to peek, only to find herself gaping. She had been transported someplace else entirely – no longer did the magical blue portal in Morvunskar stand before her. Instead, it was forested area, dimly lit by lanterns and twilight. A pretty brook ran through it, the water's trickling beginning to fill Leola's ears.
Bravely, she began forward again. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she was sure that this was some work of Sanguine's, or perhaps Sheogorath's. She crossed a cobblestone bridge, and then another, until finally, she spotted a table lit by strings of lanterns dangling above. Eight or nine people sat at the table, and Leola was unsure whether or not she should speak to them.
"Leola!" exclaimed Sanguine's voice, and she turned, spotting him nearby. He grinned, lifting a tankard of something that was probably alcoholic and strong. She smiled shyly, wondering whether or not Aventus had been able to follow her into the portal.
"Where are we?" she asked him in a soft voice, pausing to look around, and he smiled.
"Welcome to Misty Grove, Leola! It may or may not be in Oblivion," he answered, grinning, and her eyes widened.
"Oh," she mumbled, and he laughed.
"Your mother would have fit in well with this lot," he said, looking over at the group of commoners at the table, all clad in simple clothing and drinking and talking away. "Such a shame we only got part of her – and not even a good part, either, oh no, she was no fun at all in death, not like she was in life."
"My mother was here?" asked Leola softly, and Sanguine nodded.
"Of course. It just didn't work out, that's why I gave you my piece of the soul. Sheogorath seemed to have the same problem – he would have liked to have had her fully, but only having a piece of the soul just wasn't the same." Sanguine outstretched one hand, and in the palm of his black gauntlet was a shard of the soul gem, shimmering in the flickering light of the lanterns.
Leola moved towards him and gently took it from his palm, tucking it away where it would be safe. She smiled up at Sanguine and he gave her a nod before looking at the Wabbajack.
"It's beautiful here," she said as she unstrapped it from her own back, just as Aventus had done earlier. Sanguine gave a nod as she gently handed him the staff.
"It is," he mused. "The others think it needs more bodies lying around. I don't necessarily agree but I guess we'll see how it looks when I add your Dark Brotherhood friend back there?"
Leola's eyes went wide as she realized the implication of his words, and Sanguine grinned.
"I'll make sure this gets back to Sheo. You can leave the same way you come in – unless you want to try to save your friend first, of course. That could be fun," he said, and in an instant, he was gone.