Apologies for this late chapter - my laptop charger died and I needed to wait until I could get a new one before posting.

With Dagon's piece of the soul gem secured, there remained only three more pieces to recover. Azura's was guaranteed now that Samuel had been killed, and they needed only to stop by her shrine and pick it up. Mephala's, however, would be trickier - Leola had been fearful of that sword since the first day she'd touched it, and now, she had no choice but to go back to Hjerim to use it. It was late when they arrived in Windhelm, and while Ulfric retired to the palace to get some much-needed sleep and attend to royal business, the four decided to make their way to Hjerim together.

Locking the door up behind themselves, they traipsed up the stairs all together and paused to look around. Leola's breath caught in her throat. The Daedric artifacts were gone, but there remained so many pieces - weapons, armour, books, artifacts…she had no idea what most of them were, or what she would do with them.

"I'd forgotten that there was still so much to deal with," Leola said. "We've been so caught up getting rid of the Daedric things that we forgot about…well, everything else."

"Bottar and I can help with that," said Erith. "It is what we came here for in the first place, after all."

Leola paused, smiling fondly at the memory. "Yes, I suppose it was, wasn't it?" she asked softly. Slowly, she turned to face Erith and Bottar. "You're not resentful that you got dragged into all this, are you?"

Erith's eyes widened. "No!" she exclaimed. "No, of course not. We wouldn't have helped if we didn't want to - Leola, honey, I love you, you know that I helped you because I wanted to! Bottar too!"

Leola paused slightly. She glanced in the direction of the case that contained Mephala's ebony blade, and then she turned her gaze back to Erith. "Can you go to Azura's shrine and get her piece for me?" she asked softly.

"I thought we were doing that in the morning," said Erith, raising an eyebrow.

"We were going to, but…I love you, Erith, so I don't want you here while I deal with Mephala. I don't want a repeat of what happened the last time I tried this. If she gets in my head, I want Shelur and Bottar here to talk me down before I see you again."

Erith was quiet for a moment, but then nodded. "Very well," she said. "I don't want to fight with you either - it makes sense. You don't mind if I grab your father though, do you? I'd rather not make that trek on my own at night," she said.

"That would probably be best," said Leola. "That stops me from storming into the palace to confront him about anything."

Erith laughed a bit, nodding. She approached Leola and pulled the blonde close, planting a soft kiss on her forehead and then another on her lips. "Be safe," she said. "And remember, don't trust her. Not one of us has any secrets worth losing your trust over, alright?"

"Understood," said Leola with a giggle, leaning up and kissing Erith softly on the lips. "You be safe too."

"I always am," said Erith, laughing softly as she drew back. She glanced towards Bottar and gave him a firm nod before beginning down the stairs. In silence, Leola waited until she heard the sound of the door closing shut.

"Do you want me to go and lock it back up?" asked Shelur, and Leola smiled.

"That would be helpful," she said. "Thank you."

"It's not a problem," said Shelur, grinning a sharp-toothed smile before heading down the stairs. Leola's eyes met Bottar's, and they were quiet for a moment.

"Is there anything that I should know before I do this?" she asked. "Anything that you haven't mentioned that could cause complications?"

Bottar was silent, clearly thinking about it. He and Leola didn't speak much - he was closer to Erith than he was to the princess, and he'd become even closer to Shelur in the time since Sond's death. He'd gone from a playful and rowdy boy to a solemn and quiet man, practically existing in the background.

"There's not really anything that would affect you," he said softly. "Or any of our friends, for that matter."

Leola nodded. "Alright, good," she said softly. Her gaze turned towards Shelur as she came up the stairs. "How about you, Shelur? Is there anything I should know? I just want to make sure there are no secrets or anything like that for Mephala to use against you two while you're here."

Shelur did the same as Bottar had done, going quiet rather than answering right away. She thought it over, and then gave a shrug of her broad shoulders. "I can't think of anything," she said. "I'm pretty much an open book. I don't think I've been away from the stronghold long enough to have secrets," she added, and the three of them laughed a bit.

"Alright, then I guess I'm going to get started," Leola said softly. She walked over to where the blade waited, and slowly, hesitantly, she lifted it. Almost instantly, she could hear distant whispers filling her head. She moved into a cross-legged sitting position on the floor, holding the blade in her lap and closing her eyes so that she could focus on her conversation with Mephala.

"So, child, you return…" murmured the Daedra, and Leola nodded.

"Yes," she thought, knowing that she didn't need to speak for Mephala to hear her words. "I'm sure you already know why."

"My, what courage you've gained since last we spoke…you're not quite the trembling little girl you were back then. I suppose, though, that murder will harden the heart somewhat…"

"I didn't murder anyone," Leola responded. "I did what had to be done, for the sake of everybody."

"Yes, yes, of course…now, child, I believe you have something to ask of me?"

"Yes, I do…" Leola paused, taking a breath before thinking the phrase, "I want your piece of my mother's soul."

"Tell me, Leola, where is your little lover?"

"She's not here," Leola thought firmly. "I won't let you drive a wedge between us."

"You hardly need me to do that for you," said Mephala. "I'm not interested in talking about her right now, though, not when there are more…interesting…topics to cover…"

"Such as?"

"Such as the assassin…your friend Aventus."

Leola bit her lip slightly. Of course Mephala had something to say about Aventus.

"Yes, assassins do tend to keep their secrets," Leola said sarcastically.

"Oh, but this has nothing to do with his job. Tell me, child, what did he promise Clavicus Vile in exchange for that piece of the soul gem?"

Leola felt her face go white. She had no idea - she'd asked him, and she'd asked him since then, but all he would say was that they'd made a deal and it was nothing for her to worry about. She'd had a feeling that he didn't want to tell her for a more specific reason, but Mephala's words confirmed it.

"I knew there was a reason he wouldn't tell me," Leola thought, more to herself than to Mephala.

"He will do anything he can to keep it from you, Leola. I'm not just saying that to get into your head, either - I mean it. There's almost nothing you can do that will make him tell you the truth.

"And let me guess, you want me to find out the truth in exchange for your piece of my mother's soul?" asked Leola, dreading the answer.

"No."

"No?"

"No. That would take you months - years even. We Daedric princes tend to enjoy our rewards more…immediately. Aventus will not show you his secret, but you must persist and find out eventually. After all, how can he be your closest and more adoring friend when he's keeping something so monumental from you? For you, what is he doing? Is it some sort of sacrifice he's making? Some sort of crime he's committing? All for you and your mother, a woman who helped him once when he was only a child - do you not feel guilt over what he might be driven to do for you?"

Leola was quiet. She hadn't thought about it that way. All of her friends had been through so much in trying to help her. Was it really fair of her to be putting them through all that? Perhaps, when it came time to visit Meridia and have the soul gem reforged, she should just go alone, or with her father. Perhaps delivering her mother's soul to Sovngarde should be a strictly family affair - but how would that be fair to her friends, not letting them see the fruits of all their hard work and sacrifice? Sond had died for this, Leola couldn't take the chance away from her friends.

"What do you want in exchange for your piece of her soul?" Leola asked finally.

"Leola, you could have asked me for it weeks ago and I would have given it to you. I've no need for such a broken piece of a soul, nor have I any need of anything from you. All I ask is that you remember…you cannot truly trust your friends, nor can you trust your family. Uncovering your mother's dark secrets should have been more than enough of a reminder of that."

Leola bit her lip slightly, nodding. "Yes, it was," she said softly. "What am I to do with your blade?"

"Leave it be, and when you return, it will be out of your way." Leola could practically feel Mephala fading away, and she knew that she'd hear nothing more from her. She sighed softly, blinking her eyes open and feeling somewhat spacey as she remembered where she was. She went to set the sword down, and then saw that there was a soul gem fragment clenched between her palm and the sword's handle.

"Well?" asked Bottar from where he stood. "Are you alright?"

Leola turned and held up the fragmented piece. "I have it," she said, a grin on her lips.