The shrine to Mehrunes Dagon was more terrifying than anything Leola could have imagined. Hidden atop a mountain, it was an altar before a doorway, and looming over the doorway was a carving of a four-armed Daedric man with an axe. Leola shuddered at the very sight of it.

"Well, there he is," said Shelur in her deep voice, and Leola nodded slightly.

"Yes, there he is," Leola murmured, echoing the sentiment. She pulled out the cloth-wrapped dagger that she'd taken from her mother's home in Windhelm, carefully unwrapping it and approaching the altar.

"Good luck," Erith said in a soft voice, and Leola nodded.

Carefully, she set the dagger down on the altar. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, waiting a moment. "M-Mehrunes Dagon?" she asked in a soft voice. As terrifying as Molag Bal had been, he'd at least seemed to have some semblance of caring for her, particularly in requesting that they kill Samuel for him. Dagon, though, she knew from her studies cared for little but destruction. As a pawn, he'd have no use for Leola, so what could she offer him to get the piece?

"Why do you disturb Mehrunes Dagon, mortal child?" asked a chilling voice. The voice didn't seem to be in Leola's head like many had been before, but instead it seemed to be from an exterior source. Once glance back at Shelur and Erith, however, told Leola that she was the only one hearing him.

"I - I need to ask you for something - you have a piece of my mother's soul and I'd like it back."

"That seems quite the boon for you to ask of me when you have so little to offer, does it not?" asked Dagon, and Leola found herself trembling. Her heart was racing a mile a minute, and she shuffled from one foot to the other.

"Yes, but I am willing to do anything that you ask," she said softly. "I really want it back, and I intend to show you as much. I've also brought back your razor, which was in her possession before…"

"Anything that I ask?" asked Dagon slowly. "So, child, if I asked you to take your own life in exchange for your sweet mother's soul…is that something that you would give?"

Leola hesitated, feeling her heart drop into her stomach. Of course he would ask such a thing - the Daedric prince who sought chaos and destruction would certainly benefit from her death, after all. Without her, Ulfric had no heir - he'd had none before, of course, but any plans he'd made had probably been thrown to the wind in the months since she'd shown up, and killing the future High Queen would bring about some degree of confusion.

"No, no - I'll not ask you to do such a thing…I have other plans for you - better plans…"

"Anything you ask," Leola said again.

"Very well…I know what I intend to ask of you, Princess."

"What is it?" she asked, fearful of what the answer might be.

"One day, one day soon, you will meet a girl. Her name will be Lorelette."

"…And?"

"And I want you to kill Lorelette."

Leola bit her lip slightly. She'd killed one man before - Samuel - and despite all the horrid things he'd done to her and her friends, the very act of killing him had been enough to put her in shock, enough to keep her lost and confused in bed for a few days on end before she was finally ready to face the world. Would killing a stranger be an easier task, or a harder one?

"Alright. Where will I find her?" asked Leola.

"Now, now - I don't ask you to find and hunt the girl. She will come into your life on her own, and when she does, you are to kill her. I will be watching, and if you do not kill Lorelette, then I shall ensure that you and all those dearest to you pay the price."

Leola bit her lip, nodding slightly. "Very well," she said. "You have a deal. I will do as you ask."

"Excellent," said Dagon, and he let out a blood-curdling laugh. The dagger that sat atop the altar floated upwards into the air, the blade pointed towards the sky, and then it seemingly vanished. Leola could only watch in awe as the second-last piece of her mother's soul gem fell to the surface of the altar from where the sword had been. In an instant, she snatched it up, and she took a few steps away from the altar.

"Well?" asked Erith quickly. "What did he say?"

"He just asked a favour," Leola said softly, staring down at the purple fragment in her hand. "An odd favour."

"He wants you to kill someone, doesn't he?" asked Erith.

"Yes, he does," Leola replied. "But he doesn't want us hunting this person down or anything - he said that the person would show up on their own when it's time, and that's when I'm supposed to kill them."

Erith shrugged her shoulders. "Then I guess we'll deal with that when we get there, won't we?" she asked. "Let's get out of here, this place is creepy."

"Agreed," said Shelur. "The carriage will be waiting for us by the road, and we'll reach Windhelm in the evening. Let's just get away from here."

Beginning to make their way down the mountain, Erith reached over and took Leola's hand in hers. A smile came to the blonde girl's lips as she looked at her beloved, and Erith smiled right back at her.

"So, who do you have to kill?" Erith asked, as cheerfully as if she'd asked what was for dinner or what Leola had been up to.

"I'm not quite sure - a girl, but all I know is her name. Dagon said not to hunt her, though, so I probably shouldn't mention the name - I'll let you know when she comes along, though," said Leola, and Erith nodded.

"Of course," she said. "The last thing we want to do is piss off Mehrunes Dagon."

"Of course," said Leola. "Especially since he threatened that if I don't kill her, he'll find me and kill me and everybody who matters to me."

"That includes me," said Erith quickly. "That's - that's good to know. I'll make sure you kill this girl when you find her."

Leola laughed softly, nodding. "Yes, please," she said. "Don't let me talk myself out of it." By now, the carriage was visible by the foot of the mountain. Lacking Aventus, the carriage contained only Ulfric and Bottar, and the girls hurried quickly to meet it, knowing that the assassin would meet them in Windhelm when his business in Solitude was finished.