Chapter 4: The Weynon Priory Journey

It was six o'clock in the morning when Nightshade opened her eyes. She had a dreamless sleep, which was a change for her. She rubbed her eyes and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

At first, she wasn't sure where she was, but it came back to her after a few seconds. After staring at the door in front of the bed, she looked down to where Ice had been sleeping. Confused to see the floor abandoned, she feebly got out of bed and did her hair without a mirror. She felt around her hair to make sure the ponytail was strait.

"Rise and shine!" Nightshade jumped a little at the sound of Ice's voice. "My night was great thanks. Breakfast? Sure, why not? Still sane? Great…" He started to rummage through the chest at the foot of the bed and the rest of his words were lost. He grumbled a curse and pulled out a large back pack. "Here, I think the food is in the first pocket there, but it's probably smashed…"

Nightshade reluctantly started to look in the pocket, nervous about what she might find there. She pulled out a loaf of bread and a head of lettuce, while the rest was just a mix of juice at the bottom. Ice took the bread, but ripped it in half and gave some to her. She pulled off some lettuce leaves and chewed on them.

"So, what are we doing today?" Nightshade pulled off a piece of bread.

"We are going to Weynon Priory, like you said to meet Jauffre. That amulet won't be safe with us. It'll take a while to get there on foot," he stuffed the rest of his loaf into his mouth, and then got up. "There's nothing like a good start in the day, so let's get going. But first, you've got to get rid of those clothes." He looked through the back pack again and pulled out a black robe. "Here, put this on. It should fit you."

"Go outside."

Ice waited outside for her to change, and then she came out. They were slightly small for her, but she looked fine.

"Ok, now for the walking part."

Nightshade trudged behind Ice, who was hiking in a mock fashion and had been doing so for about an hour. He looked like he was marching up the mountain road they were on. She, however, had proven her unfitness by only walking at Ice's pace for five minutes, and then she had to slow down and finally stop. And now, an hour later, she wanted to stop again.

"How far now?"

Ice looked at the sky, then at the scenery. "Oh, perhaps about another three hours of walking should do, perhaps more."

She groaned. "I've got to rest." She sat down on a log and breathed in the air by inhaling deeply. Ice stopped, ahead of her, and frowned. "I thought you were a slave."

"I was, but I wasn't made to run around the city for five hours! I had to clean floors and polish weapons."

"No aerobic exercise, then?"

"Pardon?"

"Forget it." He sat down next to her. "I don't think that breakfast was very good. I'm hungry."

Nightshade's own stomach growled. "Yeah. Pity."

They sat in silence for a while, until Ice broke it by saying, "Think we'll die of starvation?"

She glared at him. "No." Her stomach growled again, and then a look of doubt spread on her face.

Ice sighed. "I don't know how long I'll last."

"Me neither."

There was another silence, and then he perked up. "Hear that?"

Nightshade listened and could hear a distant clopping. She looked confused before Ice cried, "A horse, which means a person!"

He was right. Up the hill a white horse walked, with loud hoof-steps on the cobblestone road. It had a large amount of bags and back-packs strapped to it, but it didn't crumble under weight, probably because of the huge muscles that poked out of its skin. And there was a person walking next to it.

She was a Bosmer, taller than Nightshade, wearing armor made of black fur that sculpted out her body. She was whistling and had a back pack on her back. Her light brown hair was tied back into a ponytail, revealing her green eyes. She would have been beautiful if she didn't look so tired, and her face looked older than she seemed. She turned her head and smiled. "Hey, well, what would you know: fellow travelers!"

Ice suddenly looked hostile, like he got an idea of who she could be. Nightshade however, ran up to her. "Hello! Do you have any food? We're starving! We'll be willing to pay you!"

The Bosmer laughed softly. "Here, here's an apple, and one for your boyfriend." Nightshade was too busy eating her apple to notice the last part. Ice took it unwillingly. "I'm Elyon Esrila, a traveling merchant."

"I'm Ni—" Ice swiftly put his hand over her mouth, then quickly withdrew when it got full of apple juice. "How do we know we can trust you, Bosmer?"

She shrugged. "You don't. That's why it's called trust." She took out an apple herself and bit into it. "I'll let you have the apple for free."

"Ok," Nightshade had eaten her apple and had thrown the core to the ground. Elyon eyed it. "Perhaps if you buried the core an apple tree will grow."

"Hey, good idea," she grabbed it without cleaning it and buried it. Ice looked purely disgusted. When she finished, he grabbed her and pulled her aside.

"We're dealing with one of those earthy people that care too much about the earth, but it's a cover. I can see right through it. She hides it real well. She must be working for those assassins!"

"How can you tell? If she was a bad guy she would've poisoned the apples." Nightshade looked at her. "She seems nice to me."

"Hello? What part of 'undercover' don't you understand?"

"Well, seeing as we can use the food, why don't we travel with her until we get to Weynon Priory, ok?" She patted his back. "As long as she doesn't know we have the—" she turned her head to check if Elyon was listening. Instead, she was whispering words to her horse. Ice looked freaked out. "As long as she doesn't know we have the amulet, we'll be safe." Nightshade walked back towards Elyon, leaving him looking annoyed.

"So, I'm Nightshade. That thing over there is Ice. We're on our way to Weynon Priory."

"Really? I'm heading to Chorrol. You know, I haven't been in Cyrodiil long, but I already feel like I've been here for years."

Ice came up behind them. "Oh? And where were you before?"

"Solsthiem. I spent many years there, but my homeland is Vvardenfell."

"Really? Hey, Ice is from Vvardenfell."

Elyon suddenly wasn't paying attention, like she just realized something. She looked at Nightshade. "What's your name again?"

"Nightshade."

"Oh." She stared off for a moment, and then got up. "So, seeing as we're going to same way, why don't we go the Weynon Priory together?" Ice raised an eyebrow. Nightshade was starting to have suspicions, but she said, "Ok!"

The four of them (counting the horse, whose name was Silver) walked silently for a while. It was an eerie silence that made Nightshade uneasy.

"Well, Nightshade, where are you from?" Elyon looked a little troubled. Nightshade shrugged. "I'm an orphan. I used to live in the Imperial City, but I needed to get out."

"Orphan…" she muttered, and then talked to Ice. "You are too?"

"Yeah," he sulked and said no more.

"What's the matter?" Nightshade blinked in question. Elyon bit her lip. "I'm an orphan too, and sibling-less…"

There was another silence. She didn't know how to respond to that. What did sibling-less mean? Well, yeah, obviously she had lost a brother or sister, but how?

Nightshade didn't want to pry. Elyon was a thousand miles away, and Ice was staring at the ground. The only noise was Silver, whose horse shoes clomped loudly on the stone.

"Thank the Nine!"

Ice looked like he would kiss the large stone cathedral-like building in front of the trio. They had been walking for hours, making small talk, but Nightshade felt she still didn't know Elyon like she should. But she liked her, and still believed she wasn't bad.

"So this is Weynon Priory, eh?" Elyon patted Silver's neck with a grin. She responded with a snort.

"Well, we've got to see Jauffre. Elyon, why don't you stay out here?" Nightshade walked past her, and then she noticed something odd. Elyon held no weapon on her hilt or back. This puzzled her, but she followed Ice into the building.

She thought it would be bigger. It looked more like a library than a cathedral with its wooden stairs and shelves and no chairs. They noted how no one seemed to be there.

Ice went up the stairs first, and the two, for ten seconds, walked upwards, their identical robes swaying. Nightshade made a mental note to buy some clothes.

In the first room, there was no one, but as they turned to their left and into a thick, yet short, hallway, a voice greeted them.

"Hello."

They jumped and turned to see a figure sitting at a desk several feet away. He was an Imperial, and an old one, possibly in his fifties. His head was bald at the top, but she saw his hands, which looked strong. He wore a brown monk's robe and was smiling at them. For some reason, it gave her the shivers.

"Are you Jauffre?" Ice approached with caution. He nodded. "That's I."

"Where is everyone?" Nightshade didn't approach. Something wasn't right.

"I will explain if you tell me your names."

She looked at Ice, hoping he'd make up a name. But he didn't. "I'm Ice. This is Nightshade. We've come from—someone special."

"But first tell us what's going on," she barked.

He sighed. "A tragic occurrence has happened. We were doing what we normally do, as monks, and suddenly we were jumped by many red-robed assassins. They were conjurers of sorts, and we could've handled them, but there were too many. Some of us fled, as did I, but I was the only one who returned. I knew you'd come, you see, and someone has to tell you where we are and what's happening. The rest of us are hiding in the mountains somewhere, and we need to go there." He paused. "You do have the Amulet of Kings, don't you?"

Nightshade hesitated, but looked him strait in the eyes. She didn't trust him. He sounded too eager, and vague, like he didn't know what he was talking about. Ice, too, was staring at him, and then turned to Nightshade. "Where are the bodies?"

"I got rid of them—"

"By yourself?" It was too unbelievable.

"Do you have the Amulet or not?"

"No," Ice was touching his two knives.

"Then why are you here?"

"We look for a place to sleep," Nightshade thought fast. "What's this nonsense about the Amulet of Kings?"

"You're not it?" Jauffre's eyes suddenly shined with coldness. "You don't have the Amulet?"

"Uh, no," Ice growled.

He looked angry. "Then you die!" He lifted his right arm above his head and in a flash of light he wore the similar armor that the assassins had. He carried a nasty looking sword and slashed it at Nightshade. She unsheathed her Akaviri Katana and blocked it with a powerful swing. Her arm immediately felt tired, however, and Ice suddenly took on Jauffre with his two enchanted daggers. Then she got an idea.

"Hey, Jauffre, are you looking for this?" Nightshade held up the red diamond-shaped pendent. Just like she thought, he came and lunged for her. In a split second, she shot her sword up, closed her eyes, and felt the warm liquid splash onto her clothes and face. Slowly, she opened them, and saw Jauffre's face contort before her eyes from the middle-aged Imperial to a thirty year old Redguard. His armor deteriorated to red robes and a red hood.

She really wanted to scream, but she was paralyzed in the spot, until Ice came over and pushed her slightly. "Are you ok?"

She nodded slowly and lowered her arm. The body started to slide downward, and then stopped. She pushed the body off her katana and then shook herself off like a dog from the rain. Ice looked at him. "A shape-shift spell no doubt. He must've been one powerful, but stupid, mage. Pity."

He started to walk towards the stairs until a loose plank came up and smacked him in the face. Any other time Nightshade would've laughed, but she just grimaced. It fell unevenly to the floor.

Ice bent down and looked under it to discover a pile of hay, and underneath an envelope. He grabbed it and opened it gingerly. Nightshade slowly came up and read over his shoulder. Ice read it aloud:

Dear Reader,

I hope you are the bearer of the Amulet of Kings and not part of the Mythic Dawn. However, I must write this down, for I have had a dream this would happen and you would discover this note.

We have been attacked here, at Weynon Priory. We have fled to the Jerall Mountains and to a fort called Cloud Ruler Temple, but it is not safe for you to come yet. The enemy suspects we are here, but once they discover you were here and killed my imposter, they will go back to Weynon Priory. But not yet. In the mean time, I must tell you what you need to know.

The Emperor was killed by a group known as the Mythic Dawn, who wants the Empire to fall. They need the Amulet of Kings to ensure their victory, but you must keep it for now. As long as your identity is hidden, you will be safe.

You must travel to the city of Kvatch where the last heir is. His name is Martin and works at the church. You must rescue him before the enemy finds out, and not just the Mythic Dawn. The Prince of Destruction known as Mehrunes Dagon is growing powerful, but he is separated from the mortal world through magical barriers. These barriers are kept up by the Dragonfires in the Imperial Palace. If the Emperor falls, the Dragonfires go out, and the barriers fall. That is why we need Martin.

By the time you find Martin Cloud Ruler Temple will be secure and ready for your arrival. I bid you make haste, for I fear the enemy already suspects his existence. Good luck to you, whoever you are, and I hope your journey to Kvatch and back proves less fatal and unfortunate.

There was an odd signature at the bottom that neither of them could make out except for a large J.

"Kvatch, eh?" Ice scratched his head. Nightshade was shivering.

"Maybe we should leave. That's to the west, isn't it?"

Ice stared at her. "You ok? I thought you were always around dead bodies."

"But-but I killed him…" her voice carried off. He didn't need to hear anymore.

"Come on, maybe Elyon will let you have something, if she isn't from this Mythic Dawn. I didn't understand most of that letter, though. Who are those people and why is this happening?" They slowly went down the stairs. "So much can happen in one day, eh?"

Nightshade knew it. Everything seemed to happen in one day. Your whole life could end in one day.

Elyon smiled when they came out, but when she saw the blood stains on Nightshade's robe, she rose. "What happened?"

"Jauffre wasn't Jauffre," Ice folded his arms, "a downright fake. He attacked us, so Nightshade killed him."

She looked down at the Dunmer and took out a small towel and a vile. "Here, rub this on your clothes. The stains should come out."

They sat down on the bench Elyon had been sitting on. Nightshade slowly rubbed the ointment into her clothes.

"So, do you have any idea why he'd impersonate Jauffre?"

Ice looked at her in disbelief. "Don't you know Jauffre is the Blade's Grandmaster?"

"Blades? Ah, yes, the protector people, bodyguards of the Empire, all of that."

"Yeah. Anyone would want to kill him, or at least any bad people."

Nightshade stopped rubbing and interrupted Ice. "Actually, there's another reason."

Ice was in shock. "Don't tell her, you idiot!" Elyon was bewildered. "Don't tell me what?"

"The Emperor's dead." She, at first, reacted slowly, but then had a look of panic in her eyes. "The Emperor Uriel Septim, dead?"

"I saw him die," Nightshade muttered. "Those Mythic Dawn people assassinated him."

Elyon suddenly looked sympathetic and put her arm around her in a hug. "No wonder you're shaking. That's not something you see every day."

"You're not a Mythic Dawn agent?" Ice asked.

"Me? No, never heard of them. I just came in from Solsthiem."

"Well, we, I, have something they want: the Amulet of Kings."

Elyon wasn't sure how to respond, but instead she grinned. "You get out of one adventure saving the world and you get into another." She sprang up. "So, where to first?"

"Why are you suddenly so happy?" he growled.

"Because we will save the world."