Thanks once more for the reviews and feedback everyone :D
Onwards! (always wanted to say that in a fic lol :P)
"Morgan?"
Morgan looked up from the letter she was drafting and smiled as her mother came into the room. She placed the quill back into the inkwell and pulled out the other chair next to the desk where she sat.
"Sit down mother," Morgan said softly, "You don't need to stand at attention you know."
Lilith chuckled and swept her long red dress under her as she sat down on the offered seat, placing her hands on Morgan's gently. She never flinched at the coldness of her hands, which Morgan was grateful for.
I love her so much, she doesn't care about my gifts being a hindrance.
"What is it?"
Lilith sighed, her smile still fixed on her face, and Morgan raised her eyebrow. The last time she had seen her mother act like this, it had been the night when she had disappeared, saying that she needed to 'leave for a short time but would come back soon'.
And I ended up killing a Thalmor soldier that very night because he thought that I was alone.
"Morgan, I know that this may seem…odd, but I need to talk to you about what happened tonight."
"We need the vampires…"
"It isn't about the vampires down in the caverns. It's about how you killed that one vampire in front of the others. They are talking about it you know."
Morgan sighed.
"He threatened me and what I am trying to do," she insisted.
"And you killed him with a single whisper," Lilith finished quietly, squeezing her daughter's hands gently. "You really scared the hell out of them, you know."
"I needed to show that I wasn't messing around," Morgan replied. "Most of them are newly turned and have no idea what might happen if they start leaving the Sanctuary and feeding off every single person. It may seem harsh, but I need to keep them in line."
"I know, and I know you are trying your best. Just….just stay true to who you are, my daughter. Don't let anything change you, no matter how badly things might go. Skyrim needs their heroine once more you know…"
Morgan nodded. She knew what her mother was getting at. When she had returned to the Sanctuary, only Alva met her gaze when she had briefly visited the caverns, the other vampires averting their gazes and even hiding within the darkest crevasses to avoid her gaze.
As always, she is right. He needed to be killed, but a blade to his neck would have been more merciful for them to see…but at the same time, I cannot deny who I am or what I am.
"Thank you," Morgan said softly, embracing her mother, her heartbeat soothing to her ears.
Lilith just smiled and embraced her daughter before nodding to Serana, who had been the one who had suggested that she would talk to her daughter in the first place. Lilith didn't know why Serana had been insistent on her being the one to ask Morgan about the events of the night, but on some level, she understood.
She must have lost her humanity at some point in her past, and she doesn't want Morgan to go through the same thing.
"I have to go and see Babette again for my back," Lilith said, pulling away from Morgan. "I think she wasn't impressed about myself being involved in using the forge."
"Just tell her to go to bed," Morgan laughed.
Lilith laughed as well, gave her daughter a brief kiss on the cheek before walking out of the room. Serana smiled as she came in, and wrapped her arms round Morgan's neck from behind, her teeth nibbling on her earlobe gently.
"Are you alright?"
"Just getting some much needed advice from my mother," Morgan sighed as Serana's tongue traced her throat, a series of soft kisses following a few seconds later.
"How is the letter writing going?"
"Until you started using your wily charms, just wonderful," Morgan breathed as Serana slowly straddled her lap, her arms still looped around hers.
Serana smirked and leant forwards, pressing her body onto the Dragonborn's, forcing Morgan back into the chair and allowing Serana complete control.
"I will take that as a compliment," Serana laughed.
Then she stood up and chuckled as Morgan growled.
"Get those letters done, and then I will take you, little Dragon."
Morgan felt herself heat up as Serana gave her a kiss on the lips before leaving the room.
I wonder how fast I can write these letters before my limbs start to go numb…
Jarl Elisif smiled and nodded to Sybille in thanks. It had been a very hard day and she had been thinking about taking a long relaxing bath and reading some of her favourite tales from a book that Sybille had given her for her twenty-first birthday. She smiled as she poured a small measure of alto wine into a goblet and sipped the contents, a warm and pleasurable feeling coursing through her.
The reports that Rikke had given her had not been encouraging. The Stormcloaks had been making headway in a renewed attempt to recruit new members, especially after what had happened in Windhelm recently.
Morgan finally snapped after so long. No-one should have to bear the burden that was placed on her shoulders, Dragonborn or otherwise. She was seen as the sole person who could protect everyone from Alduin and she managed to do just that…but then something unbelievable happened.
We all wanted more from her. We all wanted her to take care of the other troubles. Bandits, the vampire attacks, the Forsworn attacking the smaller settlements, and of course the war beginning to increase in intensity…
It took some time, but when Ulfric took the most important thing that Morgan cherished, the Dragon within her awoke for the first time.
Elisif shivered, despite the room being comfortably warm.
The reports of what had happened always made Elisif uneasy, but in her minds' eye, she could still imagine what had happened. Morgan had apparently transformed into something that could make even the bravest soul cower in fear, and it had only been the intervention of Serana that had prevented the Dragonborn from doing something truly terrible. Elisif wouldn't have worried had Morgan killed Ulfric and then left, but she had a feeling that Morgan may have followed the instincts of the dragon within her, and simply lash out at everyone else had it not been for her lover stopping her from doing so.
She sighed and let her mind wander back to the reports of the war. The Stormcloaks had pushed back the Legion's forces close to Whiterun, and several small camps had been set up all over the countryside, the Stormcloaks settled into a strong position. Another force had made it's way close to Morthal.
And Jarl Ravencrone still will not allow any soldiers to enter her Hold…what in the name of Talos is she waiting for?
Elisif took another sip of wine, sat down and crossed her legs leisurely, adjusting her dress absentmindedly as she looked through the last of the reports.
"At least there are plenty of volunteers for the job of taking care of the orphanage," she muttered with a small smile.
There had been plenty of people interested in the job, but only a few had actually shown interest in taking care of the children themselves, and not the fact that they would be living in a home that the Dragonborn once owned.
Once again, Morgan is involved…she has taken a hold of all our lives, in some form or another.
A soft cawing noise jolted her from her musings, and she looked around to find the source of the noise…and stared when she saw the massive black raven perched on the windowsill. She had never seen a raven this large before, and she was about to reach for the small dagger strapped to her waist when she noticed the red eyes of the bird, which watched her calmly.
Red eyes?
"Morgan?" Elisif whispered.
The raven cawed again, as if agreeing with her statement, and Elisif smiled as she walked slowly over to the huge bird. She spotted the small roll of parchment attached to one of it's legs and she hesitantly reached out to take the scroll, the bird lifting it's leg to make it easier for her.
Morgan, do you have any more secrets?
Elisif giggled, knowing Morgan would have more tricks up her sleeve, and took the parchment before unrolling it. She blinked a few times after reading it and then sprinted to the door as fast as she could. She wrenched the door open and yelled for her main advisor.
"SYBILLE! Please come here!"
Elisif walked back to the centre of her room and had barely begun rereading Morgan's message before Sybille Stentor walked demurely into the room, closing the door behind her.
"You asked for me, my Jarl?" Sybille asked in her usual smooth tone, a hint of a grin on her youthful features.
"Take a look at this and tell me what you think," Elisif asked, passing the note over to the vampire with a small smile of her own.
Sybille raised an eyebrow, wondering what had gotten the Jarl so flustered and in such a good mood. She had thought that most of the reports of the day had been extremely bad so Sybille had to wonder whether Sheogorath himself had decided to take up residence within the young woman standing before her.
Don't be fool, Elisif is stronger than many give her credit for, including yourself.
Sybille looked down at the missive and began to read.
E.
Just thought you would like to know in advance, but I
may have done something truly terrible….
For U, anyway.
You may want to send a few dozen of your finest men
and women to Dawnstar, they seem to have a large
problem right now, they have no soldiers.
Or a Jarl, for that matter…and he tasted awful.
Send back a message if you desire, my
lovely bird here will make sure it gets to me
without any problem.
Until we meet again,
M
Sybille had to grin. She saw a side of Morgan that she rather liked, ever since they had first met. She had asked the young Dragonborn to find a vampire nest nearby and remove the infestation. And Morgan had done just that, and had even asked Sybille to find her 'something harder to do next time', despite being bruised and tired.
Smart of her to not use names either, in case of the bird being intercepted.
Sybille looked at the raven and felt a darkness surrounding the bird, and she knew that somehow, the bird could never be harmed by any conventional means.
Daedric possibly…or maybe from the Void itself.
"Interesting news indeed," she commented after a few seconds. "How she managed to take over the whole town is a moot point, but I would like to know how she did such a thing. And it seems that Jarl Skald met his end at her hands as well."
Sybille then met gazes with Elisif and smiled.
"Not such a bad day after all."
Elisif beamed at her.
"Could you inform Rikke and get a regiment sent to Dawnstar as soon as possible? With the town taken, Ulfric is vulnerable from an attack from the north. Winterhold is close as well, but lightly guarded."
"The capture of the town will also cause the Stormcloaks to shift their forces and give us some more time. And time is something we are dearly short of right now, my Jarl," Sybille finished with a raised eyebrow.
Elisif smirked, and Sybille was glad to see the Jarl react that way.
You have learned so much, my child.
"Time can be made in other ways. I will draft a letter to Morgan and ask of a favour from her."
"And I shall inform Rikke of the news. We may live through this winter yet," she remarked, and was rewarded with another little smirk from the young woman.
Elisif's smile widened as Sybille left the room and she sat down at her desk, dipped the quill into the inkwell and began to write her response, the raven sitting on the windowsill patiently for her to finish.
M
Thank you for the news, after a day of such foul tidings,
your news is definitely something that has brightened
my day.
A group of friends are heading your way within
the day to secure our interests.
I have a request of you, M. We need to talk once
more. Meet me at the Shrine south of my home where we may
talk freely. Bring your companion with you if you need to.
I hope to see you again soon, my dearest friend.
E.
Elisif felt her face heat up when she finished the letter. Several times, she had almost put something greater than 'my dear friend' and she felt a heat build up in her lower abdomen.
That woman is too amazing for her own good sometimes, and I think Serana would agree with me.
Elisif smiled and rolled up her message, and then walked over to the raven and attached the letter to it's leg. The raven cawed again and she nodded to it.
"Get the message back to her as fast as possible please. And safe journey."
The raven bobbed it's head and took flight, it's wings beating faster than any bird she had ever seen. She watched it fly away for a few moments and then smiled, closing the window and smiling widely. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the cold stone wall of the Blue Palace, thinking about Morgan and what she was going to ask of her.
Jarl Balgruuf ran his hand over his face and then nodded to Irileth in thanks as she pressed a cup of hot mead into his hand.
"How did you know I was going to get something like this to put me at ease?" Balgruuf asked with a wry smile.
Irileth smirked at him.
"I know you too well, My Jarl," she said amusedly.
"Not been a good week has it?" The Jarl sighed after a few moments of comfortable silence. He gestured for his housecarl to sit opposite him and waited until she sat down before he carried on. "Did you see the reports of what happened near the Valtheim Towers?"
Irileth nodded. A whole squad of Whiterun's soldiers had been cut down by a small horde of Stormcloak soldiers near the old ruins just north of Whiterun, and only a single woman had returned. Irileth had to wonder just how Ulfric's forces had gotten so close to the centre of Whiterun Hold so quickly and without resistance.
Has the Legion's forces truly been decimated in Skyrim? Solitude will undoubtedly be well protected but it seems that Elisif no longer has the numbers needed to keep control of any of the other Holds.
"Do you think Ulfric means to attack once again?"
"Let him come, he will taste defeat once more," Irileth replied, then muttered an apology at her crude reply.
Balgruuf chuckled.
"I share your drive, Irileth, but you never answered my question."
"I think he will not come right now, winter is settling in, and it must be harder for Ulfric and Galmar to keep their armies fed and maintained in the weather up north. It is the incursion towards Morthal that worries me."
"It is not as harsh around the marshes and I believe that Jarl Ravencrone still denies Rikke soldiers to pass through or set up camps within her Hold."
"She faces a tough test with the Stormcloaks there. She has not got a tenth the numbers that they have."
Balgruuf nodded and drank some of the warm mead, and smiled a little as he sat back in the chair, the old wood creaking as his weight settled.
"This infernal war," he grumbled.
Irileth made to agree when a harsh sound came from behind the Jarl. She sprang to her feet instantly, her blade already in hand. Balgruuf also stood up, his hand on the hilt of his axe. The two of them looked around for the source of the noise, and when Balgruuf saw the raven perched on the windowsill, the window shut against the cold air, he raised his eyebrow.
"By Azura, how did that bird get inside?" Irileth muttered.
Balgruuf shook his head and walked closer, his housecarl right behind him. He saw the red eyes of the raven and he frowned. He had never seen any animal with red eyes.
Although Morgan does have orange eyes…is she involved in this somehow?
He then saw the rolled up message on the right leg of the bird and he gently prised off the note, the bird silent the whole time.
"That is one very strange animal, there is something…off, about it," Irileth said quietly.
Balgruuf grunted in agreement as he opened the note and began to read the contents.
B
Forgive the intrusion of the means of this letter, but this
beautiful creature does not listen to me when I ask her to
enter a place detected.
While it seems that the war may be in U's favour, you may wish
to not surrender to that bastard's demands just yet, for it seems that
Dawnstar has had a bad run of luck as of late….namely, a vampire
problem that yours truly may have had a hand in.
There has been a little pressure taken off of your Hold for the time being,
and that will allow me to reverse the pressure. Send a return message
if you wish, if not, simply open the window and she will fly back to me.
Stay safe my friend, it's about to get bloody in Skyrim, and the Dragon
has awoken.
M
Balgruuf laughed heartily as he passed the note to Irileth. He was still chuckling when she handed the note back to him, a little smile of her own etched on her face.
"She has a way with words, doesn't she?" he laughed.
"Indeed, my Jarl," she agreed. "What do you think she has planned? And how did she take over a whole town by herself?"
"I doubt she did such a thing alone. Morgan has a silver tongue, she could coax a slaughter fish into becoming a harmless salmon if she asked it. She would have had help…maybe her dragons helped her out? In any case, Dawnstar is free of Stormcloak influence and that means Ulfric has lost a major Hold and has a weakened area to defend."
"He will have to shift his forces to compensate," Irileth carried on. "And that means that Whiterun has a little time to prepare…I doubt he will give up his plans, even after getting such bad news."
"Ulfric never changes his mind unless he has another plan up his sleeve," Balgruuf agreed. "Irileth, start drafting in anyone who wishes to join the guards. Make plans for another siege…he may have had a huge loss near Windhelm but most of his forces were in the field at the time."
"Morgan certainly angered him after what happened," she said softly.
"Can you fault her for being so angry? Remind me to not make the same mistake," Balgruuf replied, deep in thought. "Recall our scouts and ask the Khajiit merchants to move inside the walls. We may need their wares to stay alive should the Stormcloaks attack again."
"By your command, My Jarl."
Balgruuf gave her a grateful nod as she left the room, and he sat down to draft a return letter to the Dragonborn.
M
Thank you for your good timing, U and his hounds are at our doorstep
once more and this time he may be angry.
If you have any other means to slow down our mutual
enemy, please do so while we begin our own preparations.
Talos guide you, my friend
B
Balgruuf nodded as he rolled up the parchment and tucked it back into the small holder attached to the bird's leg. He opened the window and the bird cawed loudly before it flew into the night. He chuckled again as he closed the window.
"Where in the world do you get such things, Dragonborn?" he muttered quietly, a smile on his face.
He knew better than to ask her directly of course, he knew she wouldn't tell him. And that made him smile wider.
Bless the Divines that they chose her. Skyrim needs her once more, but this time we will stand with her instead of simply asking her to do everything by herself.
Ulfric Stormcloak growled as the red eyed raven sat on his throne, the strange eyes looking at him directly with what could only be described as malice within it's avian eyes.
It had been a terrible afternoon for him, especially after all the other reports of the war were positive. His forces were set to take Morthal and possibly Whiterun, despite the damage that the Dragonborn and her dragons had afflicted on his armies. And then he had received word from a single survivor of the attack of Dawnstar, and his mood had changed completely.
All of Dawnstar's forces gone within a single night, apparently from a concentrated vampire attack. Yet none of the townsfolk were taken or presumed missing, only Stormcloaks and of course the Jarl…
The raven opened it's mouth and then a cold wind blew through the massive interior of the Palace of the Kings, and he instinctively grasped the hilt of his war axe as a cool and amused feminine voice echoed within the hall.
"Ulfric Stormcloak. For too long I have watched you and your Stormcloaks drive Skyrim down a path that will end in it's own destruction. For a time, I thought that you were a man that the people could rally behind, a man that could prepare Skyrim for the war that lies ahead. You know of the war of what I speak.
"Not the war that turns Skyrim and it's soil red with the blood of families, but the coming war with the Aldmeri Dominion. I would have thought that you would be sensible enough to see the threat they pose, and would not weaken your own homeland…I was wrong."
"I DID IT FOR SKYRIM!" he bellowed, his thu'um rocking the table. He frowned when the raven sat there, completely untouched by the power.
"You did it for your own selfish ambitions Ulfric. Do not deny it, I see it in your eyes," the raven spoke, Morgan's voice calm and smooth the whole time. "Your goal is admirable but you cannot see that you have weakened the land in your own desire to be High King. And that is why I say to you that enough is enough."
Ulfric growled again as Galmar and Ralof appeared from out of the war room, and they frowned as well when they saw the raven sitting there, with Ulfric glaring at it with undisguised contempt.
"I am allying myself with the true High Queen of Skyrim, Elisif the Fair, and that means that you and your Stormcloaks are now my enemy. None of you shall escape my thu'um. For too long I have watched your armies swarm the land, uncaring for the people within. Beware, Ulfric, for the Dragonborn has come…."
The raven cawed again and then vanished in a blood red explosion of magic, leaving scorch marks on his throne. He snarled and spun around, fixing Ralof with an angry stare.
"Ralof. Go to Riverwood and weed out any Imperial supporters and send them here. Then make sure that Siddgeir and Dengeir are meeting our quotas in Falkreath. If Siddgeir has shown any sign of resistance or sabotage, remove him and declare Dengeir as Jarl."
"Yes, my Jarl," Ralof replied, thumping his chest with a forearm.
"Galmar. Send word to the commander in charge near Morthal and tell him to advance. That old bitch has had plenty of time to respond to our demands and yet she remained silent. It's time she was kicked out and replaced. Dawnstar may no longer be ours, but Elisif will soil her dress when she sees our brave men and women standing inside her Palace, with none of her friends to help her. Send flyers to the camps and tell them to hold, we are not strong enough to attack Whiterun right now."
Galmar nodded and Ulfric took a deep breath, glaring at the black scorch marks that the bird had left behind.
"I am going to cut your fucking head off and place it on a pike, you little Breton bitch," he muttered. "And I will ensure that dear Elisif will see it up close and personal."
Ulfric Stormcloak took another breath and left the hall, unaware that the soldiers standing on duty were shaking with fear…they exchanged a look after the Jarl had left and one of them voiced what they were all thinking.
"The Dragon has awoken."
A/N: Thanks again to redchillismoke for her idea to use ravens, I love the thought of the Dark Brotherhood having rather impressive/strange/evil ones :P Although Shadowmere isn't evil... xD Anyway, hope you liked it, feedback is always welcome :D