Chapter Twenty-One
Once again, Serana heard footsteps creeping down the steps above here. Instead of Ysolda, a crooked old mad hobbled forward with a cane in hand. "Who are you?" Serana eyed the old man suspiciously.
The old man threw a length of rope through the bars at Serana, "Tie 'em up and I'll unlock yer cell."
Serana kicked at the rope, "I will not."
The old man sighed and started shuffling away with his cane in tow, "Suit yerself then." Serana grabbed for the rope, "Wait! I'll bind my hands, but how do I know that you aren't going to try something?"
The old man shuffled towards her again, "Try sum'in? What do you 'spose I would be tryin'?" The old hermit's words seemed to jumble together as he showed Serana his toothless grin.
"How do I know you're not going to…rape me? Why am I even here?" Serana was becoming exasperated.
"Do I look like I'm the rapin' type'?" The old hermit stood twisted over his equally twisted cane. "I heard yer a wizard, o'sorts," the old man's body seemed to shake with each word he spoke. He pointed a crooked finger at the enchantment surrounding Serana's cell, "I want ye to show me how to do that sort o' thing there."
"You want to learn magic?" Serana questioned as she bound her hands, "Why don't you just read a spell book like everyone else?"
"Can't read," the old man countered.
"Well, you could go to the Mage's College in Winterhold," Serana lifted her bound hands to prove to him that she was safe to be let out.
The old man leaned forward and inspected her with a bug-eyed expression, then opened the cell door. "Don' much like mages," he finally mumbled. Serana stared at him as she walked past, "Then, why did you kidnap a mage and lock me in a cell?" The old man was at least two heads shorter than Serana, he pointed up at her again with his crooked finger, "Look, 'ere, wizard. Ye went and got yerself kidnapped, don't be blamin' it on me." He shuffled his way slowly back up the steps. Serana waited at the foot of the steps, staring up at the old man. Once he made it to the top, he turned and shouted, "Well, where'd ye go?"
"I'm still down here!" Serana shouted.
"Stop disappearin' on me and get up 'ere!" The old man shouted down as he rapped the cane on the frame of the door.
Serana slowly made her way up to what she realized was a very dusty, old cabin. The old man brought a bowl soup to the table and pointed to a chair. Serana sat and fumbled the spoon with her bound hands. The old man scowled, "Well are ye goin' to eat or are ye jus' playin' wi'it?" Serana sighed, "My hands are still tied." The old man scooted his chair away from the table and hobbled over to Serana, "Well, why didn' ye say so?" As he untied her, Serana still eyed him suspiciously, "What's your name?"
"'Amich," the old man barked as he sat back down in his chair.
"'Amich?" Serana questioned.
"No, 'Amich," the old man slurped at his soup.
"Hamich," Serana finally spit out.
The old man nodded and grumbled, "Mmmm, That's wha' I been tellin' ye'."
"Alright, Hamich, what is it that you would like for me to teach you?" Serana stirred the leek stew, suddenly realizing her hunger.
"Time for that on the 'morrow," Hamich looked up at Serana through thick, white eyebrows, "How's it that ye ended up way out 'ere?"
"Well, I assume that you understand that the people who brought me here weren't my friends. That's why I was locked up—against my will," Serana began.
"Aye, Lash is a very good lad, I'll have ye know," Hamich tapped his clawed finger on the table between them, "He knew I want'd a tutor an' he brought ye 'ere."
There were a few things that Serana now knew for certain. For one, Hamich was a very confused, old man with a questionable understanding of all the events that had unfolded around him. Two, Ysolda had hired this man "Lash" to kidnap her and to sell her into slavery. Third, Lash was either a kind-hearted or incredibly clever bandit. It was obvious that Hamish wanted a tutor and not a slave, but his methods for acquiring a tutor were questionable at best.
"I suppose that I'm here, Hamich, because I am having a bit of problems with my female…companion," Serana started as she sipped at her leek stew.
"Ye mean like yer sis'r?" Hamich questioned.
"No," Serana felt herself blush, "More like a…lover."
"Oh," Hamish clicked the side of his bowl with his spoon, "Not much help I can offer ye there, lass."
Well, I guess that makes for two of us. Serana thought as Ysolda's warnings of Rowen's past lovers weighed fresh on her mind.
Chapter Twenty-Two
It had been days now that Rowen had been searching for Serana. She had followed every track leading into and out of Falkreath twice over. She questioned every traveler that she met on her way, following any lead that might point her to Serana's path. As luck would have it, a Khajit caravan was stationed in an area just East of Falkreath. When questioned, the group admitted that they had seen a band of travelers that came off as somewhat suspicious.
"One woman was sharing a horse with a brutish Orc," the Khajit purred as he twirled one gloved paw around his whiskers, "The other woman was on horseback with a Nordic fellow, but she wore a cape that covered her head-to-foot."
"Did you see her face at all?" Rowen forked over another 100 gold to the helpful Khajit.
"Ah, you are very kind, young traveler," the Khajit's accent was smooth, mysterious, and somehow very wise. "But, Ri'saad is afraid that he did not see the caped-one's face."
Rowen was still fairly certain that this was the group she was tracking, "Did you see where they were headed?"
The Khajit sat cross-legged in his tent and began speaking in a tongue that Rowen could not understand. A female Khajit approached the tent and spoke, "They took this rode up the mountain, but there's nothing up there but an old hermit's cabin." Rowen grabbed a handful of gold and a map from her pocket. "Point to the location," Rowen commanded as she slid the heap of gold onto the Khajit's sitting blanket.
Rowen dismounted Shadowmere several yards away from the cabin. There was absolutely no evidence of bandit activity in the area. Rowen patted the side of Shadowmere's neck as he brayed softly, "You know we're close, but you're about as stealthy as a giant riding on a mammoth with flames shooting out its ass." Shadowmere lowered his head, but appeared to understand. Rowen readied her bow, moving slowly through the brush and closer to the cabin.
The door to the cabin suddenly opened and Rowen took aim. Serana appeared in the sunlight with a small bucket in tow, "The well is outside, Hamich." Rowen heard a small noise from inside the cabin. "No, it has always been outside," Serana continued walking, shielding her face from the sun. Rowen tossed a rock at Serana's path, and ducked as Serana flung the bucket wildly. Rowen put one finger to her lips and motioned for Serana to get down.
"Rowen!" Serana loudly exclaimed, "What are you doing here?" Rowen winced and quickly rolled towards the front door with her bow readied. Serana pushed her to the ground. Rowen floundered and dropped her bow, "What is wrong with you?" Her voice was still barely above a whisper. Hamich appeared in the doorway and startled at the sight of Rowen scrambling in the dirt for her weapons.
"Ysmir's beard!" Hamich cried as he thwacked at Rowen with his cane. Serana put her arm out to block Hamich's next blow, "It's okay, Hamich, I know her!" Rowen stood and brushed the dirt from her armor, "What is this? I've been going mad searching for you for days!"
"Your wife kidnapped me and sold me as a slave!" Serana fumed at Rowen.
Rowen pointed to Hamich, "Then, why is it that you pushed me to the ground to let your captor try to beat me to death?"
"We've worked out a deal," Serana gestured, "I'm going to tutor him for awhile."
"OH!" Rowen threw her hands into the air, "That sounds absolutely lovely…when were you planning on letting me know?"
Serana crossed her arms at her chest and gave Rowen a pained expression, "I need some time to myself…time to think."
Rowen sat on the steps of Hamich's cabin, "Well, me too. I've only been wandering the woods of Skyrim thinking you were dead, or worse!"
Serana stood her ground in front of Rowen, "I am saying that I think it's time we part ways for awhile." Rowen balked at her, "For what? To stay here?...I'll stay here with you, if that's what you want to do."
"I had a long talk with Ysolda," Serana began.
"Well, that makes for two of us. I think it's safe to say that things have officially ended between us," Rowen assured.
"When were you going to tell me about Sapphire?" Serana suddenly snapped.
"Sapphire?...What?…Who?" Rowen had never been so flabbergasted.
"Don't!...Don't lie to me!" Serana fumed.
Rowen continued to stare, "The only Sapphire I know is a woman that I haven't spoken to in over three years!"
"And, Hroki?" Serana continued to question.
"Hroki?" Rowen began to understand where the conversation was heading, "To Oblivion with Hroki, I haven't seen her in months!" Rowen buckled as a sharp thwack hit her in the back of the knee.
"Ye shut that dir'y mouth, lad," Hamich scowled. Rowen backed away from Hamich, "Stop hitting me with that cane, you old Hagraven!" Hamich's eyes bugged at Rowen, "Ye look like a bear slapped ye righ' 'cross yer ugly face, Elf!" Rowen grabbed her bow from the ground, "That's because it did, you old fool…and, I shot it down…right through it's big, bugged eye."
"Go cast yer fancy magic someplace else!" Hamich's eyebrow twitched as he stared up at Rowen.
Rowen backed away from the crazed old man, "I'm not even a mage! This is a bow…you senile…"
"Were you seeing her while you were with me?" Serana continued, unfazed by the confrontation building between Rowen and the old man.
"Never!" Rowen scowled at Hamich, "Never like that."
"But, you were seeing her like 'that' while you were with Ysolda," Serana clarified.
Rowen sat and rubbed her hand across her throbbing leg. "I was seeing her while I was with Ysolda," she admitted quietly.
"How many times?" Serana pushed.
"By the Divines! I don't know! Three? Four? I wasn't keeping a running count! Why does this even matter?"
Serana pressed her lips together and shook her head, "You are an absolute horker. Do you know that?"
"Look, I didn't know we were listing off all of our previous lovers," Rowen countered, "I've never asked how many people you have bedded."
"No one while I was married!" Serana proclaimed.
"I was unfaithful to Ysolda with Hroki," Rowen admitted, "I am an ass for it, you are right."
"And, Astrid?"
"Astrid?" The name rolled off Rowen's tongue with disdain, "What about Astrid?"
"How many times were you with her?"
"Intimately? You mean other than the times we were plotting to kill one another?" Rowen fumed, "I can safely say that is a strict count of zero times."
Serana moved away from the steps. "Well, I guess we all know that you don't bed the ones you 'truly' care about," she mocked.
"What? You want me to treat you like some wench I picked up at the bar to play with and fetch me ale?" Rowen yelled. Hamich attempted to thwack Rowen with his cane again, but Rowen deflected it.
"Ye stop talkin' to 'er like that!" Hamich threatened.
Rowen scowled and scrambled to her feet, "Fine—let's see, I haven't thought about Sapphire since the day I fell off the wagon at Helgen…"
Serana interrupted, "And, your family? You gravitated towards her because of what you shared in common?"
"Well, I guess that might have been part of it," Rowen started.
"You never told me that they died at the hand of vampires," Serana turned to Rowen, "Why am I the last person to learn this about you?"
Rowen's expression grew solemn, "That was a long time ago…if I had told you, would you have agreed to turn me?" Serana stood quietly, so Rowen pressed on, "And, then, there was Ysolda. I believe you are familiar with her by now. And, yes, I was unfaithful to her with Hroki…more than I would like to admit. But, I was not in love with Astrid, and I never touched her. I don't know what Ysolda told you, but that's the truth of it."
"And, you weren't seeing anyone while you were with me?"
"You already know my shortcomings there, but those ties are rightfully cut now," Rowen sighed, "I know I don't have the best record, but I would never…"
"I need some time to think," Serana interrupted.
"Here?" Rowen gestured to Hamich.
Serana nodded wordlessly.
"Well, I suppose you'll know where to find me then," Rowen paused at the door, hoping that Serana would just follow her out.
"You're going back to Lakeview?" Serana sounded surprise.
"Where else am I supposed to go?"
"What about Ysolda?"
"Well, seeing as I tore through these woods the past few days ready to nail your kidnappers' heads to the wall, I can say it's safe to assume that she is probably well out of dodge by now."
Rowen opened the door to see Shadowmere waiting on the front lawn. Serana beamed at him and raced down the steps to throw her arms around the beast's neck. Rowen sighed, "You should keep him here…he missed you." Serana combed her fingers through Shadowmere's mane, "He's your horse though." Rowen nodded, "I trust him to keep you safe…in the event that…well, in the event that you decide not to return to me." Rowen pointed at Shadowmere, "That means no more running off to stomp mudcrabs…it's all on you now." Shadowmere nibbled at Rowen's glove, "Not that you haven't been doing just fine on your own." Serana shrugged, "I've been around a long time…I've learned a thing or two."
Rowen reached into her pocket and handed Serana the golden ring box, "This also belongs to you."
"Rowen…" Serana began.
"No, take it…it's yours'," Rowen pressed, "Keep it for good luck, wear it if you decide to come find me, or put it towards something that will help you…get whatever you need." Rowen smiled meekly.
Serana clutched the tiny box in her hand, "Okay, I'll hold onto it then."