Author's Note: Here's chapter 26! Hope you guys like it! A big thank you to all who read this, as always! You guys make me smile!

Chapter 26: Gaining Ground

Blistering wind blew harshly against Lielle's face, causing her skin to sting furiously. She hugged her furs about her body more tightly, bracing herself against the harsh gale as she and Nazir trudged toward the arctic mountain peak. An icy burst of wind bashed the two of them, causing them both to stagger back, nearly rolling down the steep mountain side.

"By Sithis, this is terrible!" Lielle growled, feeling in a simply rotten mood. They'd been travelling knee-deep in snow and ice for what seemed like forever, and she, quite frankly, had been fed up with it. That Sanctuary better have been real, or she was going to find whoever wrote that idiotic letter and gouge their eyes out!

"You don't say," Nazir spat sarcastically over his shoulder. He obviously wasn't in the best of moods, either.

After what seemed like a lifetime of wandering aimlessly in the white storm, the two of them finally approached the mountain top. Lielle watched Nazir stand tall ahead of her, scanning the high expanse and digging in his pouch for his tattered map. He turned about to face her so that his back would be to the wind as he pulled the crumpled parchment out, eyeing it.

"Well?! Where in Nirn are we?" Lielle snapped, feeling hungry, frozen, and downright irritable.

"If you'll kindly wait for more than two seconds, I'll tell you." His eyes glared up at her in a look of annoyance. After running his finger along the paper, he began to speak once more. "Finally! If I'm right - - and I think I am - - we've just crossed the boundary into Cyrodiil. Unfortunately, we had to be in the coldest damn area in the whole Province - - the Jerall Mountains, of all places!"

"How far do you think we are from the Sanctuary?" Lielle inquired, hoping to Sithis that it would be close enough that she wouldn't freeze to death before they laid eyes on it.

Nazir's previous stern expression turned to one of complete frustration. "That's the problem. All we have to go on is that it's in these mountains."

"Ugh! Damn it...Well, what do we do now?" Lielle fumed, suddenly wishing she'd never came to that freezing wasteland with Nazir.

"Well, complaining like a sniveling little milk-drinker certainly isn't going to help." Nazir remarked, folding his arms. "Look," he sighed, seeming as though he felt defeated. "We need to try to spot any signs of a dwelling. Perhaps odd markers, or traces of a path. We need to keep moving if we don't want to catch our death out here. You should be grateful. If I hadn't packed a spare set of fur robes, you'd have been dead a long time ago." Nazir smirked, shooting her a sly expression.

"Maybe, unless I decided to steal yours..." Lielle grinned, teasing the Redguard. At least she'd been stranded with Nazir, and not that pathetic excuse for a Listener and her boot-licking jester. He was much more tolerable than those two - - perhaps even likable. Out of that whole cursed bunch, he was the only one who seemed to believe in her. He'd been the one to recruit her when he'd witnessed her sheer power. He'd even suggested, much to her gutless Listener's disapproval, that Lielle be made the final Speaker. She may not have verbally expressed it, but if Lielle had any ounce of feeling or gratitude within her, it had been toward Nazir.

"Hah! That's wishful thinking on your part, mage. Now come on, we have to find this bloody place if we're to report back to Ava any time soon." Nazir turned away from Lielle and began to cautiously descend the other side of the mountain.

Lielle's blood began to boil with the very thought of Ava. It was all her fault that Lielle was in such a miserable, icy wasteland. Ava never let her do what she wanted, unless it was a grueling mission that Lielle would later feel miserable about. "Oh, please Nazir. I could care less about getting back in time to satisfy our weak little Listener. I just wanted to get away from that awful place for a bit." Lielle shrugged nonchalantly as she followed closely behind, using Nazir as a shield from the hateful wind.

"You really should watch that mouth of yours. She is our Listener, whether you like it or not, Lielle. The last thing we need is to die out here because the Dread Father decided to smite us for your blathering tongue." Nazir scolded her from over his shoulder, now nearly up to his waist in snow.

"Come now, you hate her too and you know it!" Lielle returned the scolding, feeling as if Nazir had been making her out to be the bad guy. What was wrong with thinking the Brotherhood needed a leader that wasn't useless?

"I never said I hated Ava. I just don't see eye to eye with her all the time. She's young like you and tends to make scatter-brained mistakes - - like you." Nazir glared at Lielle, visibly more annoyed than his previous state.

"Don't make me laugh!" Lielle scowled, feeling outraged by his comparison. "We're nothing alike! Pffft...Besides, if you like her so much, then why are you always on her case?"

"The same reason I'm always on yours - - you're both young and foolish. Call it tough love, if you will. If someone doesn't get on your case, you'd both be in too much trouble to keep track of. The Dark Brotherhood needs members who will do what's best for the Brotherhood - - not throw it all away for some crazy dream or dumb sap of a man." Nazir grumbled, squinting his eyes against the storm and struggling further against the deep snow.

"Oh, please." Lielle huffed, offended by Nazir's bluntness. "I wouldn't throw any of this away for a stupid man. Men are my playthings, not my downfall." She retorted arrogantly, now struggling to steady herself in the mass of white.

"If you say so," Nazir commented, sounding as if he didn't believe her. "You put off coming here, on official business, with me because of your little exploits. As for Ava, she seems to be infatuated with that moronic clown of hers...I'll never understand you women." He shook his head, a baffled look crossing his face.

"Haha! I don't think you'll have to worry about Ava and her jester anymore..." Lielle smirked, feeling rather proud of her victorious efforts to ruin Ava's budding romance.

"What did you do this time?" Nazir whipped around accusingly.

"Let's just say the jester wandered elsewhere. Apparently, that little Listener of ours wasn't satisfying his needs." Lielle grinned slyly, completely satisfied with her ability to manipulate anyone she pleased. It wasn't that she intended to harm Nazir from her little lie; she just had a certain reputation to maintain, and the truth would most certainly tarnish it.

"Damn it, mage! We're lucky we aren't dead by now! You may not like Ava, but you'd better learn to stay in line. Don't steal from others, Lielle! You'll bring the Wrath on yourself, or worse, on the rest of us!" Nazir yelled, apparently fed up with Lielle's carelessness.

"Fine, fine." Lielle receded, feeling she'd told too much. "Look, she said the jester could do what he wanted. I didn't steal him. I simply used him to rile her up, and I succeeded. I'm not that stupid." She said, defensively.

"That maybe so, but you're a heartbeat away from a fatal mistake. If you cross the line, or one of our tenets, I won't save you." The Redguard warned solemnly. "Look, you don't have to like her. You just have to obey the tenets. I took you in. Don't make me regret it."

Lielle sighed. "Fine, let's just go..." Not even Nazir understood her completely. Ava was no good for the Brotherhood, and Lielle was only speaking her mind. Too bad nobody saw things her way.

"Are you sure you want me to leave, Listener? You seem anxious. Is everything alright?" Vottur narrowed his eyes.

"I'm fine. I think I'm just stressed out a little. I mean, with everything that's going on, that is." Ava answered, failing to mention that Cicero scared the daylights out of her to such an extent the night before that she'd barely slept through the night. Come morning, Ava felt greatly relieved that he hadn't crept off and killed Vottur. She just couldn't bring herself to admit that to Vottur for fear that he would go after the jester again. She didn't want them slaughtering each other, of all things.

"I see..." Vottur studied her words, resting a large hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "Nazir is a very skilled assassin. I'm sure he and the mage are fine. As far as myself, I'll keep a close watch on our spy. I'll make sure we return safely and with further news, Listener."

"Thanks," Ava smiled kindly at her faithful companion. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Heh...I don't know either, Listener." Vottur grinned, patting her shoulder while he teased her.

As Ava watched her companion leave her room, she could feel a tingle of fear crawl its way up her spine. He and Violet would be leaving any moment. That meant she would be left with Cicero for the night. Ava tried to keep in mind that the Sanctuary was filled with able assassins, so maybe they'd intervene if he fell off the deep end and tried to stab her to death. Of course, if he'd wanted to kill her, then he would have done it last night. Wouldn't he? She wasn't so sure at the moment. All she knew was that she hadn't seen her Keeper all day, and that worried her even more. What in the Void was he up to?

Ava seated herself at her desk, feeling the pang of exhaustion eat at her insides. She felt so tired she could barely hold her eyes open, yet she was far too tense to sleep just yet...

Ava browsed from bookshelf to bookshelf in the large study, thinking maybe some light reading would distract her racing mind from her fears. She casually skimmed her index finger over a multitude of literature, until she half-heartedly pulled out a book about Dwemer ruins and opened it.

She walked out of the study, making her way back to her quarters when she stopped abruptly in her tracks. Cicero stood hunkered over the pool of water in the central room, studying his reflection while moving his hand about. The mere sight of him felt rather alarming to Ava.

He had his back turned to Ava, so she figured she'd attempt to sneak by him while he was distracted. She had no idea what he had been doing all day, and she wasn't sure she wanted to find out.

Little by little, she edged her way toward the hallway that led to her room, glancing every now and then to monitor Cicero. She managed to sneak nearly out of sight when she heard his voice.

"Can the Listener sew?" He purred, his voice low and hushed. Ava didn't like the way he sounded one bit. He was too calm and too collected.

Ava whipped around. "A-a little...Why do you ask?" She yelped, her voice high and fearful. She knew he'd more than likely sense her fear, making her tense further.

"Cicero cannot sew his glove. His poor hand is in wretched condition, Listener." The jester came walking up the steps in her direction. He'd somehow cleaned up a bit from the previous night, although Ava had never witnessed him leave his room. His motley was still in terrible shape, and he appeared as if he'd been beaten nearly black and blue. He had no readable expression, leaving Ava feeling uncertain as ever.

"I...don't know if that's a good idea." Ava said, backing away little by little.

The jester approached her, an expression of agitation forming on his features. "You cower before your Keeper. Does Listener really think Cicero would harm her? If I wanted to kill you, you'd be DEAD by now." Cicero said bluntly, folding his arms and deeply scowling.

What started as fear, turned rapidly into a feeling of irritation with Cicero's snide remark. How was she to know that, given how erratically he'd been acting lately? First he was having a romp with that awful wench, then he was angrily taunting Ava about Vottur, followed by arriving at the Sanctuary appearing as if he'd murdered a village! She knew she'd been in the wrong concerning her past behavior, but he didn't have to make her fear for her life! Ava glared, feeling her bottled emotions trickle out. "Well that's good to know..." She remarked sarcastically. "Maybe you could have mentioned that last night when you were scaring the daylights out of me!"

"So Listener can act in her STRANGE, fickle ways, and yet Cicero cannot? He was having a bad day, what's the harm in venting his FRUSTRATIONS?" The jester shrugged, feigning innocence. "Now, will Listener help Cicero or not?" He barked, obviously irritated.

Ava's brow furrowed, "Why did you not ask someone else? I'm not that good at sewing."

"HAHA! Such a FUNNY riddle you ask! Because no one CARES to help poor Cicero! The other assassins think of him as a NUISANCE, they do..." He laughed bitterly. "Listener is his last resort."

Ava sighed, "Fine..." It may not have been friendly, but at least they were on speaking terms. "Follow me, Keeper..." Ava said formally, as Cicero snorted mockingly at her tone.

She made her way to her bedroom, with the jester following behind her. She searched the end tables and dressers until she found some simple thread and a needle. She impatiently held out her hand to take his glove.

The jester handed it to her, raising an eyebrow. "Why is Listener so AGITATED? Hmmm?"

She paced over to her desk, laying the tattered glove down and clumsily attempting to thread the needle. "I think you know why." She huffed, pulling the thread through the eye.

"Nope." Cicero leaned against the doorway, shrugging and pretending to be ignorant to her thoughts. Ava knew better. Cicero was cunning - - he was always aware of what was going on.

"You had me scared last night. Why in the Void did you do that?" She briefly stopped her stitching to look up at him. He had a devious grin on his face. She didn't like when he smiled at her like that. It seemed to be the same look he donned in his predatory state.

"Do what?" He asked, now feigning an innocent expression.

"You know what. You came in here soaked in blood and speaking in riddles. I didn't know what you were going to do to me..." She stated nervously.

"Cicero was just out for a stroll, when he came across some...unfortunates...That is all." He smiled. "He merely had to let off some steam..."

"But what you said...The way you've been acting...Why were you saying those things about me - - about Vottur?" She questioned, feeling the need to find answers.

The jester paused, his eyes now glaring at her. He calmly walked over and sat on the edge of her bed. He spoke in a low growl. "Because he grows TIRED of your games, Listener..."

Ava's hands fumbled about, dropping her needle as she was caught off-guard by his accusing words. "What do you mean...games?"

Cicero grinned wickedly, "Why did Listener leave this?" He reached into his pouch, pulling out the silver garnet ring that used to belong to her.

"I...uh..." Ava stuttered, finding herself speechless. He knew. Of course he knew. He always knew. But no, she couldn't tell him. It would be pointless. Stupid. She needed to focus on the Dark Brotherhood - - not this. She wasn't prepared for this.

"Hmmm? Cicero thinks his Listener may have become a bit POSSESSIVE of her Keeper, hmn? She thought BAD thoughts about her Keeper's faithfulness..." He began to rub his chin, pretending to be in thought. "But why oh WHY would Listener CARE? Why, Cicero is ONLY her Keeper and nothing more. Cicero would LOVE to know..."

"I...was having a bad night...I had too much to drink." She shrugged, avoiding her true motivations. She just couldn't let him know. It was far too late, anyway. She'd ruined things long ago when she lied, driving a wedge between them. "I shouldn't have done that."

"LIES! See what your Keeper MEANS?! If Listener didn't care for Cicero, she wouldn't have done a thing like that! You play GAMES, Listener! GAMES! GAMES! GAMES!" The jester shot up, pacing about frantically. "You TOY with me, Listener!"

There was nothing Ava could do. Cicero had every right to be angry. She'd never intended to string him along, but she realized that somehow she must have done so, regardless. He was already distressed and obviously resentful. Ava had no right to be angry that he'd been with Lielle - - she set those events in motion long ago, when she'd turned her Keeper away. "Look, I- " Ava began to explain, but was cut off by the angry jester.

"You take Cicero as nothing more than a FOOL! He obeys and serves you with NOTHING in return! He waits on Listener HAND and FOOT, he LAVISHES you in affection, he tells you he LOVES you - - and all for Listener to LIE and PRETEND he is NOTHING! Goes running right into the arms of that vile BLOOD-SUCKER, she does!" The jester began to yell, fists clinched with rage.

Ava stood up, feeling a wave of guilt crash into her. "Cicero, I'm sor- "

"NO! No SORRY Listener! Cicero wants NOT to be pulled back in by your charity!" He howled, grabbing his head as if in some sort of physical pain. What had she done to him?! "Listener..." He growled, tears forming in his eyes and causing her to feel lower than she thought she was capable of. "You want to know how your Keeper FELT when you turned him away? When you left with that DISGUSTING, PUTRID Man-friend of yours? When you go running to that VILE, PATHETIC Blood-sucker?!"

"But, Cicero - - " She attempted in vain to calm the jester, but he refused to listen to her.

The jester's face went slack. His eyes narrowed, as he fixed them on her, gritting his teeth. Whatever he intended to say, it wasn't going to be good. "The mage...Cicero PLEASED her...so very, VERY much! And OH, HOW she SCREAMED and BEGGED and wanted MORE! Why, Cicero didn't think you'd MIND! He needed a good ROMP, anyway, and Listener surely was not interested! Why would she be? Cicero is only her SERVANT, remember?!"

Ava began to feel the intense sting of jealousy, regret, and heartbreak. Apparently, the jester wanted to give her an ample dose of the pain she'd unwittingly given him. She stood dumbfounded with his piercing, cutting words, as she felt warm tears begin to stain her cheeks.

"Doesn't feel so GOOD, eh Listener...?" He growled, glaring at her. His eyes were full of bitterness and revenge.

Surprising even herself, Ava finally quit trying to explain herself or lie her way out of it. She could feel the tears streaming down her face, but she realized that she'd put him through enough. As much as she wanted to instinctively defend herself with indignant rebuttals and a few choice words, she had to admit, what he said rang true. Cicero did wait on her, lavish her with affection, and pine over her time and again. It was obvious that he cared, yet she turned him down and pretended her feelings for him were only a figment of his imagination. The problem was that she never quite let him go. She thought she had, but maybe she had been manipulating him more than she was aware of. She'd be just nice enough - - just attentive enough to keep him near, yet not enough to tell him the truth or let him in. She wanted his affection, yet never became brave enough to return it. With a familiar flood of self-loathing, she came to the conclusion that she'd been nothing but a coward. That fact didn't sit well with her, especially given the current unstable circumstances the Brotherhood was faced with. If she wanted to fess up and be strong for what was to come, she needed to start somewhere.

"WELL?!" Cicero barked, obviously trying to rouse a response out of her.

Ava wiped at her face, clearing her tight throat. She closed her eyes, nodding her head in agreement with him. "Y-you're right, Cicero. I was wrong to do that. I did lie..." She admitted, noting his instant change of expression from bitterly angry to completely surprised. "You came to me and told me how you really felt, and I lied. I do have feelings for you, and yet I lied and acted completely unaware of everything. In truth, I had no right to be jealous of Lielle, when I was the one that put myself in that position. I guess I just have a huge problem getting close to people. I'm too screwed up for all that. It's best for someone like me to be alone, anyway. I've caused enough problems, as it is. You were right, Cicero." She looked into his eyes, which were now open wide to match the astonished look on his face. "I am mad. It wasn't you I wanted to stay away from. It was part of myself. The truth is, I just don't like myself very much. As a matter of fact, I don't like myself at all at the moment." Ava inhaled deep, seating herself once more and committing herself to fixing his pitiful glove. It was the least she could do, given she had no ability to commit to the jester in any other way.

"W-what is Listener doing?" Cicero's tone completely changed, as if all the anger had drained from his being at once.

"I'm helping you, Keeper. I'll try and patch your motley, too, if you like." She whimpered, her watery eyes now fixed on the glove as she sewed vigorously.

"But, Listener...Why?" His voice quivered softly in awe of what was taking place, as he seated himself. Apparently, Cicero was expecting her to yell and scream at him, not apologize and help him. He appeared as if he'd seen a ghost.

"I may have lied about the way I felt, but I never lied about being your friend. I do care. It's just...This is the best I can do for now." She gazed pitifully at Cicero. It was off her chest now. She cared for him, and now he'd been informed of that. Maybe now Cicero could see that she wasn't intentionally being malicious toward him. Maybe now he'd realize that the problem was hers and hers alone. Now perhaps she could just be the Listener. Hopefully she could move on without hurting him any more. Hopefully.

"Can't you make it brighter? I can't see a blasted thing!" Nazir winced, shielding himself from the piercing gale. They'd been searching all day for the faintest sign of Sanctuary, yet so far they'd come up empty-handed. With night now upon them, Nazir hoped he'd never have to lay eyes on this dreadful place again. If this Sanctuary was indeed real, he'd remember to turn down the opportunity for another journey.

"No! Even the brightest Candlelight spell won't do much in this gods-forsaken place!" Lielle huffed from up ahead. "Wait," she stopped abruptly, as the ground began to tremor. "What's that?!"

Nazir could hear a rumbling that was growing louder by the second. "What in the Void?" He looked behind himself to the top of the mountain where the noise had originated. There he could see a storm of white launching itself down the gigantic mountain peak. "Lielle, run! The snow's too heavy - - it's an avalanche! It'll send us both to the Void!" He yelled, as the two hurdled down the mountainside.

"By Sithis, I don't wanna die this young!" Lielle screeched, fleeing and casting yet another Candlelight spell as her previous one flickered out.

Hearing the rumble change to a tremendous roar, Nazir quickly checked behind himself to see the engulfing ocean of snow coming down upon them. In all of Nirn, he never thought this would be how he was sent to the Dread Father!

"AAHAHHHHHHHH!" He watched helplessly as Lielle tripped on something he couldn't see, causing her to roll down the mountainside. Nazir tried slowing himself to avoid her, but was thrust into her, sending them both tumbling down the jagged mountain at a rapid pace.

What seemed to be a fatal mistake, happened to be saving their very hides at the moment. Rolling faster and faster, the two were barely outpacing the falling snow.

"LIELLE, WATCH OUT!" Nazir yelled, catching sight of the drop-off they were inevitably approaching.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Both screamed in unison, as Nazir prepared to meet Sithis himself. He could feel himself go over, but to his surprise, something caught him by the arm.

"What the?!" He huffed, bracing himself as an icy tidal wave flew over him, crashing down the mountainside, just barely grazing his body. He looked up to see Lielle dangling by her leg, which had somehow became snared by a root of some sort. She held onto his arm tightly with both hands.

"HOLD ON!" She screamed, nearly breathless.

Nazir instinctively searched his surroundings before her last Candlelight spell flickered out, leaving them in the dark. He caught a glimpse of a ledge not far below him, but he'd have to angle himself to land on it. "I see a ledge down there. I need to swing to it! Ready?" He called out.

The Breton nodded, her face full of tense worry. Nazir began to wriggle back and forth, gaining momentum until he was swinging out widely. He looked up, to see the strain on Lielle's tired face. She looked as if she'd lose her grip at any moment - - as small as she was, he wondered how she held on as long as she did. "LET GO!" Nazir shouted, as he felt her small hands release him.

He winced, as he swung forward. He scrambled about, barely getting his footing to keep himself from falling to his death.

"NAZIR?! ARE YOU ALIVE? YOU BETTER NOT BE DEAD! I DON'T WANNA DIE ALONE! I SWEAR I'LL HAUNT YOU!" He could hear the frantic screams of the mage above.

"I'm alive, you twit!" He yelled, searching for a way to get to her. He noticed that the ledge was covered in thick, vine-like roots - - a few of which could lead him far enough up to possibly cut her down. "Hold on! I'm going to cut you loose." Nazir hoisted himself up as far as possible. He had just enough room to swing his trusty blade up and slice the root that bound her leg. "Are you ready?" He asked the Breton.

"Wait, what?! How will I not fall to my death?" Lielle screeched.

"When I say so, grab my hand." He instructed the anxious mage.

"But you'll be swinging that thing! You'll never catch me in time!" She yelped, eyes wide with panic.

"Heh. You underestimate me, mage. Now do you want me to get you down, or do you want to freeze your way to the Void up there?" Nazir huffed, quickly growing impatient with her.

"Fine! But if you let me fall, so help me I'll pull you off on the way down..." She growled nervously.

"Shhhh!" He hushed her, pausing to concentrate. "Now when I say grab, you better damn well grab, understand?" He asked, seeing her compliantly nod. "Okay..." He began to concentrate, honing all of his skill into that very moment. He was a Stalker of the Sands - - he knew how to be faster with his hands than most people were with their eyes. He just needed to concentrate...that...very...moment...

"GRAB!" He shouted, while swinging his razor-sharp scimitar, and cutting the root. As if in one motion, he simultaneously sheathed it, while grabbing the vine and holding his other arm out, catching the mage's hand into his fierce grip.

She quickly scrambled, latching herself onto him as he descended back down to the ledge. "See? Now was that so bad?" He teased the obviously shaken mage.

"You're damn right it was!" Lielle growled, throwing up another ball of crystal blue light to allow them to see their surroundings once more.

With her spell now illuminating their surroundings, Nazir noticed that the vine-covered ledge seemed to travel inward. "It looks like this is some sort of tunnel." He noted, as the two travelled inside the area.

The tunnel seemed to travel back farther than he'd expected. As Lielle's spell flickered out once more, they were left momentarily in the dark. "Well, mage? Where's our light?" Nazir questioned.

"Just give me a moment! I'm a little drained. I have been doing this all night, you know!" Lielle grumbled.

"Wait," Nazir began to hear another sound - - a familiar sound. "Is that?" He stepped forward in the dark, following the strange dark rhythmic hum that hit his keen ears. He could see a faint red glow in the distance. "Lielle, come here!"

He could hear the mage's footsteps toward him in the dark. "Is that what I think it is?" She asked in astonishment.

Nazir followed the red hue until it formed a door. His eyes traced the engraved skull and familiar symbols of his dark family. "This...is it..." He said in amazement. "This is the Sanctuary..." He said, touching the cold, cracked stone door. As his fingers brushed against it, the door creeked open slightly. "By Sithis! It's no longer enchanted!" He said, pushing the ancient door open with ease.

"Considering where it is, I don't think it needs an enchantment." Lielle remarked.

Nazir took a couple of wary steps inside the dimly lit Sanctuary. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

He gripped the hilt of his scimitar, hearing a lone pair of footsteps approaching, the sound echoing off the crumbling stone walls. A shadowy figure stepped into the large, empty room.

A ball of icy blue light whirred over Nazir's head as Lielle launched another Candlelight spell. "Finally..." She moaned.

The ghostly light spilled over the tall figure, to reveal a white-maned male Altmer in shrouded robes. The Altmer's piercing golden eyes met with Nazir's. "I see you've found me, brother." He smiled, his jagged teeth gleaming in the darkness.