Christophe Bartlet opened his hazel eyes as he cast off last night's tipsy slumber and let out a scream.

There was a loud thump of bare feet on wooden floorboards as a damp faced Sulla came racing into the room armed with a dagger in his left hand and a wooden comb in his right.

"What in the Seven Divines is going on?" Sulla snapped.

He could hear the sound of metal echoing up the halls outside and knew his fellow soldiers were hastening to investigate.

Celestia, standing before Christophe with a look of alarm, turned to stare up at her father apologetically.

"I didn't mean to startle him papa."

"It was the bear!" Christophe exclaimed as he pushed himself up from the hard floor he'd made a bed of last night.

A loud banging sounded on the door of the rented quarters.

"Sulla is everything alright in there?" a male's voice called with concern.

Sulla gave Christophe an annoyed glower before he sheathed his dagger and headed to the door.

"It's fine," the blonde grumbled as he fumbled with the lock and opened the door.

He stood his underclothes, unhappy to appear so dishevelled before a lesser ranking soldier.

"We heard a scream, was it Celestia?" The soldier asking the question leaned into the room with a look of concern.

"No," Sulla retorted dully as he pulled the door open wide to accommodate the worried man. "That would be preferable. Just an idiot with a phobia of stuffed bears."

The soldier looked to Christophe who remained seated on the floor and was now waving up at him with an awkward smile.

"Who's he?" the soldier queried.

"A new member to my team," Sulla confessed, pulling a face of revulsion as he knew the mockery that would soon follow when the soldier spread this story. "It's alright," he added jovially as he gave the soldier a bitter smile, "he has assassins after him so hopefully I'll be rid of him soon."

The soldier gave Sulla a quizzical look, unsure if he was joking or not. "Right, well I'll leave you to it if everything's alright?"

Sulla nodded. "Yes, thanks."

"Oh, there's someone waiting for you in the main hall," the soldier added hastily. "A member of the Penitus Oculatus."

Sulla's eyebrows rose slightly at this. "Did he say what he wants?"

The soldier shook his head. "No, he's just complaining about the breakfast."

"Super."

The soldier headed off and Sulla closed the door. He turned back to Christophe with another irritated glower and folded his arms. "So, you're scared of stuffed bears?"

Christophe gave Sulla a defensive look as he frowned. "No," he protested, "just that creepy thing."

Christophe pointed to the small stuffed bear cradled in Celestia's folded arms.

Celestia looked down at and hugged it closer. "He's called Winkie," she said quietly.

Christophe shuddered as he looked to the singular eye the bear possessed, some loose thread lingering where another eye might once have been.

"Is he Daedric?" Christophe queried nervously.

Celestia looked up to her father in puzzlement, not knowing the word Christophe had used.

"It's. A. Bear," Sulla stated flatly.

The bear was a patchwork of leather in various shades of blacks and brown, some faded with time, showing lighter veins where they'd been creased, dark spots from stains and paler areas from sun exposure. Tiny strands of dried up golden-brown straw sticking out from gaps in the thread at the left shoulder and right knee indicated what it had been stuffed with. A white button with a sloppily dabbed black spot in its centre served as its remaining eye whilst a loose black button was probably meant to be a nose and an abandoned needle acted as a thin, sombre looking mouth.

"Papa made him just for me," Celestia said as she hugged it closer prompting the nose to slip sideways.

"Did some Daedric Prince reject the offering?" Christophe pondered as he looked to Sulla questioningly.

Sulla raised his hands to his hips and frowned down at the man. "What's the name of the woman you scorned? I'd like to tell her I'll kill you for free."

Christophe gave a nervous laugh as he pushed himself to his feet at last. "Alright, so crafting isn't your talent, you're a soldier, it's forgiven."

Christophe dusted himself down and gave the unimpressed Sulla a smile. "What's the plan?"

"I finish getting dressed," Sulla advised, "and meet with this Penitus Oculatus person." Sulla turned his irritated blue stare down to his daughter. "Seraphina, you find that lazy Khajiit I pay far too much to look after you and tell her to get you washed and dressed or no more coin for wine."

Seraphina nodded as she continued hugging her bear close with both hands. "She'll use the bad words papa."

"She will," Sulla agreed, "and you will put your hands over your ears until she's done."

Celestia nodded before reluctantly heading to the door.

"What do I do?" Christophe queried.

"Come up with a list of reasons explaining again why I should bring you along," Sulla retorted as he stormed back to the bathroom.

It took twenty minutes before Sulla was able to head down the main hall to meet the mysterious Penitus Oculatus officer. It had only taken him ten minutes to finish getting washed and put on his armour as he moved with a haste drilled into him during a life spent in the Imperial army. The other ten minutes were spent yelling at the hungover Hedani to get a move on and bring out Celestia as Sulla worried about her missing breakfast otherwise.

Sulla wasn't happy to head for the main hall accompanied by Christophe and the cursing Hedani knowing the scene it would set for the Penitus Oculatus arrival as well as any other soldiers dining in the hall but at least he could abandon them with Celestia to a table of food that would hopefully keep their mouths shut whilst he dealt with the Penitus Oculatus officer.

Sulla dreaded meeting with the other member of their party again. Sam had promised to meet them in the courtyard in the morning. He had initially offered to join them at the gates leading out of Whiterun but Sulla had to reluctantly veto this as Tullius had insisted on meeting any new members to the team before granting Sulla the much needed funding.

"I smell eggs," Christophe remarked cheerfully.

The Khajiit beside him let out a groan. She walked with one clawed hand about Celestia's shoulders and the other pressed against her silver and black striped brow.

"Ooh, Hedani smells regret, sickness and, oh beef," the Khajiit's voice perked up as she sniffed the air.

Sulla glanced over his shoulder to give Hedani a disapproving look. "Just make sure Celestia gets her breakfast first," he ordered.

"This one was minding the young before your father's under spit entered your mother," she retorted testily.

Christopher let out a snicker before he could help it as his hazel eyes darted over to the blonde to spy his reaction.

Sulla bristled slightly as he glared back at the feline faced female. He pointed at her angrily, his armour rattling slightly as he lifted his hand.

"No. More. Wine," he snapped.

He turned away from them, marching over to the only soldier not wearing the standard Imperial army leathers and steel.

Christophe watched him go, cocking his head slightly to get a better view of the dark armoured soldier Sulla marched towards.

"Does he always put sentences into one words when he's mad?" he queried curiously.

"This one cannot say, she stopped listening to him years ago," Hedani mused.

The Khajiit smiled when Celestia turned up to her and tapped her on the nose lightly.

"What will you have for breakfast little one?" she asked gently.

"I don't mind," Celestia retorted, "I saw bunnies last night at the back, can we go see them?"

Hedani looked to the tinted diamond paned windows and groaned as she spied the sunlight lingering outside. "Perhaps when there is overcast. Besides, your father would leave Hedani without coin if you did not eat."

Celestia glanced over to his father, wondering as Christophe did, who he was talking to.

Sulla stared at the Penitus Oculatus soldier curiously, he didn't know him but that was hardly a surprise, the only one Sulla knew in those ranks was Gaius Maro. He saluted him politely, respecting the prestigious rank he bore.

To the public the Penitus Oculatus were the emperor's bodyguards but studying by an ambitious Sulla had taught him that they were so much more than that. They had access to a private library in the White-Gold Tower, they were assassins, spies, thieves, and investigators, whatever the emperor and the Imperial Family wanted them to be, wherever and whenever, without ever questioning it. They didn't just stand guard at the emperor's side, they went undercover as required, masquerading better than even the Dark Brotherhood or Thieves Guild members could and spread out across Tamriel travelling wherever they were bid.

The soldier nodded back to Sulla. "Sulla Trebatius?"

Sulla nodded in confirmation.

The soldier extended a hand showing a muscular, swarthy skinned arm with a metal and leather brace strapped between the elbow and wrist. "I'm Arcturus," he introduced.

Sulla accepted the hand even as he gave the man a questioning look, wondering at his surname. He had the face of an Imperial and the familiar lilt of a Cyrodiil accent, which was common enough in the Imperial ranks, more so in the Penitus Oculatus. It was no surprise that the emperor liked his own kinsmen to be guarding his back. Sulla figured that part of their secrecy included not giving out their family names.

Arcturus gave a grin as he pulled his hand back. "I heard you were inquisitive, suppose that's the point."

Arcturus cocked his head to the left where he had a flagon and a wooden plate of cooling food sitting resting on a wooden shelf. He plucked up the flagon and took a deep gulp before setting it down and looking back to Sulla.

"I've heard about your expedition and I'm joining."

Sulla narrowed his cerulean stare as it hardened with suspicion. A frown tugged at his lips knowing that Arcturus was making it clear that he was not offering his presence to Sulla he was enforcing it.

"Why?" Sulla pried. "I said this wasn't the legion's business, well not directly."

"Sure but that's only so if it goes wrong no one can blame them," Arcturus retorted cheerfully. He pierced a piece of overcooked beef from his plate with his fork. "Look at this," he complained, "I haven't eaten anything good in three days. I trek here, mostly on foot, for three days solid in that blasted Skyrim weather, deal with an attempted ambush by an idiot thief, then there was the whole bear thing," he shuddered, "and this is my reward- burnt beef that I don't believe is beef."

Arcturus shook the piece of meat on the end of the fork before Sulla.

"Do you think it's beef?" he queried seriously.

Sulla recoiled slightly from it. "I hope it is," he murmured. He glanced over his shoulder to spy Celestia and was relieved to see her eating eggs and toasted bread.

"Good food's important," Arcturus continued to complain as he dropped the fork back on the plate with a noisy clatter.

"You didn't answer my question," Sulla pointed out.

"I know," Arcturus retorted with a grin.

Sulla folded his arms and frowned. "Are you the emperor's spy, sent to ensure I deliver up his fair share and then some?" he queried bitterly.

Arcturus laughed at this. "Odd words for a loyal soldier. I'd think you'd welcome me if you were the ambitious type, imagine what doors would open for you at my recommendation. Maybe I'm just the ambitious type too. Look, I'm strong, fast and good with swords and axes and if that's your sorry party over there, you should definitely want me."

Arcturus nodded pointedly to the table Celestia was seated at.

Sulla looked their way again and only just managed to subdue a groan of despair. Hedani had her head slumped on the table burrowed into her folded arms, Celestia had now decided to paint with her egg whites and yolks, using the back of a spoon for a brush, and Christophe was seated at the end simultaneously shovelling an unhealthy amount of sweet rolls into his mouth whilst occasionally leaning over to offer Celestia suggestions.

"It could have been an old psychic or a loon dressed as a jester," Sulla murmured quietly. "I think I actually miss the loon."

He turned back to Arcturus with defeat in his eyes. "Fine, I imagine General Tullius would only overrule me and refuse funding if I rejected you anyway. There's an alcoholic mage too by the way, he's meeting us outside."

"Wouldn't be the one swinging a mead bottle with his hand over that priest, trying to turn that praise Talos ranting into a song?" Arcturus quipped calmly.

Sulla let out a sigh. "Considering my luck I would be more surprised if it wasn't."

"Hedani was not stealing skooma, Hedani was framed!"

The Khajiit's yells in her slumber drew several curious stares over to her. She merely snorted and let out a loud noise that was a combination of snoring and purring.

"I wonder how many of my party will be in jail before we even try to leave Whiterun?" Sulla wondered aloud in despair. "Maybe I'll even be there too because I'm going to kill that Breton if he doesn't stop offering my daughter food for artwork."

Christophe, unaware of Sulla's glower, had offered Celestia a small bowl of snowberry jam to use for red in the picture she was completing on her plate. When he heard the heavy thud of steel boots on the wooden floorboards he became aware.

Christophe looked up at the glaring blonde and gave a nervous laugh.

Celestia glanced up and smiled. "Look Papa, I made a sunset with clouds," Celestia said as she gestured to her plate of distorted food.

"Celestia please eat your food, don't play with it," Sulla pleaded. "And you Breton, please try to think of ways to stop me from killing you before it's even noon."

"Well, I'll look better in comparison to the other Breton," Christophe responded quickly.

Sulla shook his head despairingly. "Not good enough."

They headed up to Dragonsreach as a sorry looking display, save for Arcturus who walked tall and proud, handsome and impressive in his dark crimson top and gleaming black armour. Sam walked tall and proud too but was a little hindered by the heavy manacles bound about his wrists and the two local guards on either side of him.

Sulla had found the mage in the courtyard five minutes too late. Apparently the guards, who were always unusually tolerant of the priest Heimskr's rantings, had lost their patience today when Sam had brought singing into the matter. Now he was under arrest for disturbing the peace and evading the law. At first Sulla had tried to avoid the scene altogether until the Breton had grinned and called out to him cheerfully, then he had tried to get the guards down to a caution but apparently Sam had decided running from them had been a good idea and one hadn't appreciated the chase up a set of stone steps because he had a bad knee.

Now they were all on their way to Dragonsreach- Sulla to present his sorry looking team to Tullius and hope that the general wouldn't shake his head in disapproval or mistake it for a joke and laugh, and Sam to either get tossed in jail or pardoned by the Jarl and permitted to join their team.

"Hey blondie wait!" a woman's voice called from behind them.

Sulla halted and turned at the call as did Christophe. Sulla gave him a disparaging look and remarked dryly, "you're not blonde."

"No but I always like to look when a lady calls," Christophe retorted chirpily. "And there's the whole fear of getting stabbed in the back thing, got to take precautions for that as well."

Sulla shook his head as he took in the woman who had been calling and had now fixed a keen, slightly stern stare upon him as she approached.

She was an attractive, tall redhead with streaks of dark warpaint down her face that resembled claw marks and added another layer of fierceness to her appearance. Taking in her animalistic fur, leather and metal armour had Sulla wondering for a moment if she had come to attack him.

"Yes?"

"You that soldier recruiting for a treasure hunt?" she barked the words out at him.

"I am seeking qualified people for an expedition," Sulla corrected frostily.

"You have that rehearsed don't you?" Christophe queried quietly in a mocking tone.

Everyone except the guards escorting Sam had halted to take in this newcomer. Arcturus observed her in with mild interest and a hint of approval, whilst Hedani frowned at her choice of garments and slid a paw over Celestia's eyes to block it from view.

"Why can't I look?" Celestia protested.

"Hedani believes you must be grown to see such a vulgar sight and perhaps paying coin yes?" she hissed out sardonically.

There was a moment of silence as the men kept their gazes carefully fixed upon the redhead's face as they each wondered if they had really heard the Khajiit say what she had said.

"Hey why don't we forget this whole thing and have a drink?" Sam's loud, jovial voice broke the silence as he addressed his guards, glancing from one to the other as they continued to march him on.

"No," came the sullen retort.

"Oh come on, I have a special brew I could offer," Sam tried to tempt him.

"That is bribery."

"You guys are no fun, who doesn't like to drink?" Sam complained. "Just like Riverwood, one accidental kicking of a chicken that gets underfoot and everyone loses their minds." He shook his head woefully. "It wasn't even a nice chicken, just a stringy looking thing and I'd had a few, harder to stand straight then. I could've understood it if I'd say booted a cow, now cows are a better commodity," Sam continued to ramble on as the guards continued to march him up the stone steps to the Cloud District where Dragonsreach stood.

"I'm going to choose to ignore that furball," the woman finally responded to the Khajiit's insult. She fixed a pale stare back to Sulla. "So you are the one looking help then? Something about exploring ruins, Dwemer and Atmoran, maybe a few barrows?"

"Yes," Sulla responded, still unsure where the woman was going with this.

Celestia swatted Hedani's paw free at last. She looked at the redhead briefly before turning round to stare after Sam curiously.

"Well I want to join, so where do I sign up?"

"Say yes," Christophe piped up excitedly to Sulla. "I like your outfit by the way," he stated more audibly to the woman, "especially the er fur," he waved a hand in a gesture her shoulder pads, "nice colour, good for the weather."

"No chill will get at the shoulders," Hedani remarked sarcastically, "but certainly the rest of it."

Sulla folded his arms as he studied the woman, taking in her from her native accent that she was a Nord. She had a tough stature and he didn't doubt that she could handle herself.

"What's your name and what can you offer us?"

"Names Aela," she responded bluntly, "of the Companions. We show up to solve problems if the coin is good enough," she added boastfully. "You have a problem, you need decent people for your expedition and I heard you're offering coin so I think you can conclude the rest."

"He has decent people," Arcturus pointed out.

Aela roamed her eyes over the small group before they darted ahead to the incline of steps. "Is that drunk mage one of them?" she queried mockingly.

"Depends on whether he's going to jail or not," Sulla admitted. "What are your skills?"

"I'm an expert archer," she bragged.

"Well I'm the archer," Christophe blurted out, almost angrily.

"I thought you wanted her to come along," Arcturus remarked quietly with a taunting grin.

"I got here first," Christophe added sullenly.

"We can have two archers," Sulla muttered crossly. "You said you were a ranger, you have other skills, right?"

"Of course," Christophe snapped as he turned his head to frown at Sulla.

"Well there you go, she's not a ranger, are you?" Sulla queried as he looked back to Aela.

"No, I'm a Companion," she reminded him hotly.

"I have no idea what that is," Sulla advised her with a look of disinterest.

"Icebrain," Aela grumbled. "We are an order of warriors. We are brothers and sisters in honour-"

"They live in an upside boat," Christophe interrupted tauntingly.

Arcturus glanced over to him with interest. "Wait, is that what that is? I thought some architect just got touched by Sheogorath."

Sulla watched as Aela's face seemed to burn with rage for the men mocking her but then she swallowed it again and he wondered if it was sadly something she had become accustomed to. "That is Jorrvaskr," she informed them curtly, "sailed by Ysgramor. The crew carried it here to make a shelter of it before they founded Whiterun."

"Don't you just love myths?" Christophe queried mockingly as he placed his hands on his hips and gave her a sneering smile.

"Couldn't they have just chopped down some trees and built a shelter?" Arcturus queried.

"It was the prestigious ship of Ysgramor," Aela insisted.

"And it hasn't rotted after all this time?" Arcturus continued to press the issue with a curious look. "Or gotten burnt down by that dragon that got imprisoned here?"

"Oh that you know," Aela retorted sardonically as she glared at him. "Jorrvaskr you haven't heard of but the story about Olaf One-Eye and the dragon at Dragonsreach, that one you've heard?"

Sulla felt a small hand tugging at his red cloak prompting him to glance down.

"Papa, the mage is away with those guards," Celestia advised as she pointed to the steps Sam had been escorted up.

Sulla let out a curse.

Christophe chortled and couldn't resist stating, "you forgot to cover her ears."

Sulla just shook his head before glancing over his shoulder in irritation to Aela. "You know what fine, you want to join, join, this is what you're signing up for and we've got to go present ourselves to my general in the home of the Jarl right now and get that stupid, mead swallowing mage."

"Is there extra gold for any of these tasks?" Aela queried calmly.

"Before we even leave Whiterun?!" Sulla snapped in disbelief. "No!"

Aela nodded. "Very well, I will join but I will not assist with the mage's case."

"Whatever," Sulla grumbled as he led the way after Sam.