Chapter Forty:

Unconquerable Fortress

Sventius spent the next few hours explaining his plans from what he'd scouted within Fort Pale Pass. Because the Thalmor were keen to bring me back to Cyrodiil (even if Arnand Bienne was not), they were looking for the infamous Serpent's Trail that travelled through the Jerall Mountains and into northern County Bruma. It was the fastest way into the Imperial Province from here.

At my insistence about hearing more of Bienne, Sventius made a point to listen-in on a few lovely "conversations" that the Breton was having with the hoity-toity Thalmor. He wanted time with me. He wanted to give me a matching scar on the other side of my face. And then he wanted to make me beg for my life.

Well, I planned to have a reunion with him. One that ended with my foot being shoved so far up his ass that my toes would be able to tickle his little brain. And then I'd kill him. Plain and simple. It was the only time I actually considered if I could use my little coming-of-age present to eat him. Then again, I'd probably spit him out if such a thing happened.

Sventius went on to explain that Bienne would be allowed to "interview" me while under supervision by the Thalmor the very next day, and how we'd use it to escape from the fort and back into Skyrim. Rather than have the Thalmor in hot pursuit, I also suggested that we kill as many as possible. For that, we'd need weapons. But since Sventius was only allowed to come into the room I was in, the room that held the actual supplies (like foodstuffs and ingredients), and his own "chambers" (i.e. where he was held prisoner), we would either have to fight with our fists and the small amount of magic we knew (Sventius was the bookish type and didn't have much stake in his magicka, despite being an Altmer), or just wait for them all to lay down so we could stomp their necks and faces in.

But when the planning and plotting was finished, he went out of his way to speak to me about the lycanthropy. While I was facing it and accepting it because I'd seen no way out, the prospect of returning to who I was beforehand was beyond appealing. I tried not to get too excited though; anything could happen. Maybe that "Melisande" person would be deader than dead, and I'd never find a Glenmoril Witch anywhere else. If that happened, I didn't want to feel... depressed. If I had to live with it, I would. And I'd do so with a grin on my face, a sword in my hand, and my foot firmly shoved up Bienne's arse.

And when we got onto the topic of my hairy problem, Sventius explained to me what he knew about it. It was different from the Companions' gift, certainly, and so I was bound to experience it differently. When I began to explain what happened when Masser was full, he was quick to say that I'd been in pain for all those hours not because I was fighting, but because it was happening slowly enough that my body would be more ready for it next time. I wasn't at all pleased, but hoped that the information would help in the future. So I expressed my worries and concerns to Sventius about when Secunda would be full. And since it was to be that very night, we needed to move fast.

"So, you know the plan?" Sventius asked me as he replaced the bandages on my leg again.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"And you won't let Bienne muck it up?"

"No."

Sventius grinned. "Then well be out of here by tonight. Just keep a clear head, all right?"

I nodded again. "Let 'em know."

"One more thing..." He picked up a cloth. "If I don't tie this thing around your mouth, we both get killed outright."

"You can't just tie it loosely?" I asked him as he approached me with it.

The Altmer shook his head. "They'll check it."

Sighing, I replied, "Fine." Sventius deftly and tightly tied it around my mouth. With a knot sitting uncomfortably on my tongue, it was impossible for me to Shout.

Still, it wasn't like it was a setback.

After we'd tied ropes around my arms and legs (and used a technique where I would be able to escape with ease while they were still tight), Sventius went to retrieve the Thalmor. Hopefully, with what he'd told me of the layout of the fort, we would be able to meet up again. Provided, of course, that we managed to escape and neither of us died.

I took a deep breath as the door closed with a loud thud. Keep calm, Taryn... I breathed deeply again, trying to calm my heart from anxiety and rage. If you get angry, if you screw this up, Arnand and the Thalmor will win...

My thoughts immediately went to the slimy little Breton. He had the coin to hire mercenaries, to travel to Skyrim while wearing fancy clothes, and to involve himself with the Thalmor... How? I supposed it would be one of the questions I'd ask him... before I showed him the error of his ways.

The door opened roughly. Three Thalmor soldiers in their elven armour marched in and stood along the wall. A robed Thalmor with a hood obscuring his face entered shortly after. He looked to be a Justiciar.

I didn't have to wait for Arnand Bienne for very long. I was looking forward to getting our meeting over an done with. His hair was slicked back with oil, and he looked to be wearing some new clothes. They were definitely clothes I'd noticed some nobility wearing during my extremely brief visit to Solitude.

"And here we are again," Bienne stated, grinning wickedly. "I feel spoilt."

"You look it," I retorted. I decided to cut right to the chase. "Where are you getting all those septims to have the Thalmor in your back pocket?"

"Watch your tongue, you ignorant little blasphemer!" the Justiciar snapped, his lip curling in distaste. "I'll cut it out from your mouth!"

I glared at the Thalmor, but then two of the three soldiers approached and began to turn a crank on the side of the stone slab. Well, I was surprised, but they raised the top so I was facing Bienne. I was still a head taller than him, even when held down.

"It won't hurt for you to know..." Bienne smirked as the soldiers returned to their posts. "Last time we saw each other, we spoke of that little gang you ran back in Anvil. I lied about them... Mostly."

"Mostly? How do you 'mostly' lie?!"

"Well, first off, they don't think you betrayed them. No matter how I tried to convince them, they just couldn't believe that their 'fearless leader' could have done such a thing to them." Arnand began to scratch his nose. "But most of them are in custody. As for your original question... I happened to find a nice stock of septims in your base when the little urchins scattered."

"You stole all our Gods-damned money?!" I snarled.

"You stole the coin in the first place," Bienne reminded me. "What's it to you if I take it for myself?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Bastard... You let the people we grew up with get caught by the guards! By the Thalmor! You son of a bitch!"

"You grew up with them!" Bienne snarled. "I merely tolerated them for a few years. I knew I would eventually return to my family in High Rock."

My fists clenched. "What in Oblivion do you mean?" Bide your time... Wait for the signal... Don't lose it...

"Well, when someone in my position annoys the aristocracy, we're sent away. It was decided that I ought to live some of my life as a pauper." Bienne huffed in disgust. "Luckily, I'm a part of them. My place with the Thalmor and among my peers in High Rock will encourage the full enforcement of banning the worship of Talos, and eventually, have High Rock break from the Empire." He grinned. "With Titus Mede II dead, the Empire is hardly staying afloat. This Civil War does nothing to aid it. And since so many provinces have already broken free of the dead legacy of the Septim dynasty, I find it only fair that my people have their fair shake."

"Bullshit!" I growled.

He laughed at me, throwing his head back for a full effect. "You're right, Taryn! You're very, very right." Grinning, Bienne added, "I'm just in it for the money."

I was very thankful for Sventius, because if he hadn't done the signal then, I'd have ruined the entire plan.

As a thundering crash came from outside the door, startling all within, I wriggled from my restraints and smashed my elbow into Arnand's face, grinning when I heard the crunch of his nose. Magicka welled up in my palms as I shot a blast of fire towards the soldiers and the Justiciar, but the hooded Thalmor managed to throw up a ward before he was burned too badly. I risked some burns on my hands to grab at one of the soldiers' elven longswords, and when I managed to take hold of one I grabbed the scruff of Bienne's collar and dragged him to his feet. His front was soaked with the blood that gushed from his nose.

I pressed the blade against his throat as the Justiciar summoned some magicka of his own. "Don't even think about it!" I snarled, drawing some of Arnand's blood for good measure. "He's too Gods-damned important to you for you to do something stupid!"

The Justiciar fought with himself as I began to drag Arnand's shivering body from the room, ensuring that the Thalmor wouldn't have a clear shot of me. I debated on killing him there and then, but I kept him alive. I knew that Sventius and I may need him soon. Then I'd kill him.

"Thanks for telling me your evil plan by the way," I hissed into Bienne's ear. "Maybe you ought to join the Federation of Evil-Doers so you can tell Skyrim and the Empire exactly what you're plotting too, you little piece of shit!"

We charged down the hallway. I hoped and prayed that I'd be able to remember what Sventius said. Adrenaline was charging through my veins, clouding my thoughts, but I hoped the Altmer would be where we decided to meet.

"The Blades agent has escaped!" I heard the Justiciar holler. "Find her! She has Bienne as a hostage!"

Well, it wasn't gonna go covertly anyhow... Bienne began mumbling something I couldn't hear. Threats, I decided, from the tone of his voice. I ignored him but ensured I still had him in a vice-like grip. He wouldn't escape from me so easily again.

"Find the alchemist! He must be in league with her!"

My eyes widened. Sventius! Gods, you'd better be hiding well!

"Screw you and your Gods-damned lizard!" Arnand spat behind his blood. "Oblivion take you and shit you out!"

"I'd still be a prettier sight than what I've got planned for you!" I snapped back.

"Taryn!" Sventius waved his arms. "There's a wagon here! We have to hurry!"

I followed the old mer as quickly as I could, occasionally shoving Bienne up against a wall or two if he decided to speak (he managed to bite his tongue at one point with enough force to make it bleed, so it appeared to be the end of that). We turned another corner, beaming as we saw the giant wooden doors that would lead outside and to the wagon, but our faces fell as the sounds of soldiers became louder.

"Move faster!" I cried. "We're almost there!"

Pumping our legs, Sventius was breathing hoarsely as we slammed our shoulders against the doors, opening them wide and charging into the biting cold. Mountain peaks surrounded us, but didn't shield us from the snow. I suddenly became aware of how much my leg was hurting from my wound.

"Here! Over here!" Sventius ran towards an old wagon with a horse still attached. The beast itself looked like the ones in Cyrodiil, with a brown coat and white socks. I approached the wagon with Bienne, smashed his face against it to knock him out, and then tossed him into the back, hoping that the trunk would at least keep him in.

I climbed into the front with Sventius who already had the reigns in hand and urged the horse into a fast gallop. Soldiers stormed out of the fort with crossbow bolts and arrows flying at us without a moment's hesitation. I grabbed Sventius' head and shoved it downwards to avoid the onslaught of projectiles. He nodded in thanks when I released him.

"The path! There's the path!" I shouted, pointing at the icy stones.

"I can see!" Sventius hollered over the winds. "Hold on! This will get very difficult—!"

The back of the wagon suddenly lurched. Fire ate at the wheels as the wagon detached from the horse and sailed over the animal. I remembered a lot of bouncing and pain from rocks and ice alike, but even that was a strain on me.

Because the next thing I knew, I was lying in the freezing snow, my right side numb with cold but my left in dire pain. I moaned, glad for the pain, because it meant I was still alive.

Well, I was.

I quickly realized that there had been more than me in that wagon. I summoned what strength I could and rolled onto my stomach, my eyes blurring with exhaustion. How was I so tired already? I'd done nothing but rest while treated by Sventius, and I'd only ran a little bit when we were escaping...

A fist connected with my face, and then someone attempted to straddle my arms. Acting purely by sight and touch, I fought against my assailant and connected my fist with his stomach. I realized that it was Arnand Bienne.

He closed another fist to hit me with, but I moved my head out of the way. His fingers smashed into the ice under the snow and he screamed from the newfound pain. I grabbed his clothes and brought him down, slamming my head against his. He held his forehead and scrambled to get off of me, and once my legs were free I used my left one to kick him hard in the family jewels. I figured he'd fallen, because the fog around us didn't show him standing.

Bastard...! W-Where's Sventius?!

I groaned and tried to find the Altmer. My strength was waning, but the ringing in my ears was dying down. I could hear nothing but the wind and a scream, so I dragged myself toward the foreign sound until I reached a cliff.

Arnand Bienne hung from there. One glance over the edge told me it was a steep fall; one that would spell certain death. The Breton's eyes desperately pled with me, but his mouth was set snidely.

"Y-You wouldn't just leave me," he stammered from cold and fear. "You're not that person. I-I know you. I know you very, very well! So you won't leave me." Arnand smiled. "You... You'll save me, right?"

I took a deep breath, the coldness no longer numbing me, and reached over the cliff. Using the few bits of my strength I had left, I grabbed onto Arnand's arms as he grabbed mine. Standing to lift him, I hefted him upwards. He cheered me on out of pure desperation, but before his waist came over the cliff I stopped.

The Breton looked up at me. "Almost there. Just a bit further..."

"You're wrong about me, Arnand," I growled. His eyes widened. "I'll save anyone who deserves to be saved. You can rot in Oblivion."

He didn't say a damn thing as I released him. He slipped, unable to hold on, and plunged into the fogged winds of the Jerall Mountains. But I knew I would never forget that last look he gave me. I knew that it would haunt my dreams, that look of desperation and lost hope. And that would be the look I'd remember Bienne by, because I could have inflicted upon him a crueller fate for playing with us like we were toys. That was a mercy I gave him, and he knew that.

"Arkay have mercy on your pathetic soul," I murmured towards the place he fell, "because this place has none for people like you."

The pain in my leg flared uncomfortably, so I was forced to sit down and scan with my eyes for Sventius. I could see four clear trails in the snow: one for the wagon, which bounced over the edge, one for Bienne, one for me, and Sventius'...

I had to drag myself across the snow once I noticed my leg was bleeding. I couldn't heal myself, or else I'd lose whatever energy I had left. I didn't have any potions or anything to help me, but Sventius was an old man. Could he even survive such an attack from the Thalmor...?

I heard a groan not far from my position. "S-Sventius?!" I called. "Where are you?!"

However hard it was to see, I spotted an arm rising from the snow. Ignoring my own injuries, I hurried to where the Altmer was and hurriedly brushed the snow from his body. The arm that had emerged clung to my shoulder.

Sventius had some blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but he still smiled. The gesture immediately reassured me, and I felt myself relax.

"I am glad we've escaped..." Sventius breathed. "I cannot wait to see Viranirn again..."

"We still need to make sure we're away from the Thalmor," I muttered. "This fog came in pretty quick, and we're definitely off the path. We need to find a way down from here."

Sventius nodded slowly. "Yes... Yes..."

The hand he had on my shoulder loosened its grip, and then fell to his side as Sventius' eyes rolled backwards, staring sightlessly at the clouds.

"NO!" I slapped his face gently, hoping to wake him. "Sventius! Divines, you can't go now! Y-You need to see your daughter again, right?!" I shook him roughly. "Wake up, you idiot! Tell the Divines to sod off!"

He didn't answer. He didn't look at me. Gods, he didn't even blink. My body was shaking in sadness at the mere thought of the Altmer leaving the Nirn. He'd helped me escape, for Talos' sake!

I grabbed him with all my strength and threw him over my shoulder like a sack of grain. He may as well have weighed as much. I stood, despite how my leg protested, and began to run, hoping to find someone to help him before it was too late.

"Please live!" I murmured. "Please, Sventius, live!"

I'd hoped for an answer of some sort, but I received nothing. Gritting my teeth to stop them from chattering, I pushed forward, and then realized how Gods-damned hot I was. It felt like I was boiling out of my skin!

Don't you dare turn! I felt my body shake with a minor spasm of pain. You can't turn right now! Not while Sventius can be saved! I know he can! I need to save him!

The pain in my leg dulled. I used it to my advantage to hurry, and then I realized that I didn't feel so tired. In fact, I felt a bit stronger. But rather than focusing on the newfound strength, I continued onward. Forward, into the storm of snow.

I just hoped that I could save Sventius. It was the very least I could do for him.