Chapter XLV – Prison Life

This place was unsettling.

It was so… full of people. Aeyrin hadn't expected this, really. She probably should have. She knew that every prisoner came down to the mine and that the captives of war did too, but she never imagined this. There were Forsworn everywhere around her. She was pretty sure she was the only one that wasn't one of them there. It was disturbing. Maybe she shouldn't have minded, but the way they all looked at her when the guards brought her made her shiver.

For one, it was so painfully clear that she was an outsider. She had no idea why there weren't more of Markarth's own criminals around, but she noticed the gates that led into other parts of the mine complex. Nobody ever went through them and there were two guards in front of each. Maybe there were other sections in which other prisoners were being held. Then why did they throw her in here among all the Forsworn? It really looked like they were kept together on purpose.

Secondly, her appearance certainly drew stares. It wasn't as much her race as the collar around her neck and the mask on her face. Nobody else had these! She knew that the mask was there because the guards thought that it would prevent her from Shouting, but why did she have to be semi-choked by a collar all the time? Besides, it just made her look more out of place. More like an animal they should all gawk at.

The Forsworn didn't look at her with friendly eyes. They seemed so suspicious, it made her incredibly nervous. And she couldn't even talk to reassure them that there was no reason to be suspicious of her. She was here against her will just as they were. Wasn't that enough for them to sympathize with her a little? They just looked at her with mean gazes. And she saw one of them draw his finger across his throat when he stared at her. That was unnerving. All that because she wasn't a Forsworn?

Cael and his clan had been so much friendlier to her, even if the situation had been a little tense too.

She had no idea what to do now. Would they bring Bishop at some point? She didn't see him anywhere. Once the guards 'set her loose' by unclasping the chain from her collar again, she started to walk around nervously, avoiding as many people as she could, looking for Bishop. But he was nowhere to be seen.

The Forsworn were mostly working, mining silver. But there weren't as many guards around as she had anticipated. Sure, guards were armed, but the Forsworn were fairly aggressive prisoners of war. Did the Silver-Bloods really think this was enough to contain them if they decided to revolt?

She didn't really want to think about that. If it ever came to that, she was pretty sure she would be there on the line along with the guards by the glares everyone was throwing her.

Was she expected to work as well? Nobody told her anything. Some of the Forsworn weren't working, they were sitting around fires and talking or eating.

Eating. Right. She could forget about doing that with that thing on her face. The moment she got away from the guards, she reached back behind her head to feel around for the opening, but there was an actual bolt and a small keyhole there. She was locked inside that thing no matter what. What were they going to do about that? Was she just going to die of thirst? They wouldn't do that to her, right? The Jarl couldn't let her die in this place! He had said so himself before. What changed? What happened? None of it made any sense to her.

And it was a little hard to breathe in it too. She could always smell that strong leather under her nose.

"Hey!" A gruff voice rang behind her back. She really hoped it wasn't addressing her. Could she just ignore it? All the looks made her too wary to have someone talk to her.

She decided to ignore it. Surely nobody would address her here. It was for the best. She didn't recognize the voice and it just scared her right now.

But a moment later, she felt a tight grip of someone's large hand on her shoulder.

Crap.

She turned around reluctantly, only to come face to face with two Forsworn men. They were pretty large for Bretons. The muscles and the whip scars all over their bare torsos were more than intimidating and they glared at her like all the others did. The black war paint over their faces did not ease the menacing look at all and somehow neither did the chains and cuffs on their hands.

She tried not to panic right away. They were just looking at her right now. They weren't doing anything bad.

"So, the Empire's elven overlords sent one of their pets to spy for them?" One of the men scoffed.

What? This again? It's been a while since someone called her a Thalmor spy just because she was a Bosmer. Should she get nostalgic over this or something?

Aeyrin only shook her head at them. What else could she do?

"We knew the Silver-Bloods would make some pathetic attempt to find our plans," the other man scoffed.

'Plans'? What plans? The prisoners had plans? What did that mean?

"You better watch your fucking step, elfie," the first man snarled and as if to punctuate the point, he promptly reached out to hook his finger into the loop of her collar that served to claps the chain. He yanked her towards him, making her stumble a bit and take an involuntary step forward. She let out a gasp, but it was barely audible behind the leather mask. "We're onto you," he growled, so close to her face that it made her flinch.

"What'd they silence the bitch for anyway?" The other man snorted.

"Probably so that she doesn't give herself away, as if we're dumb enough not to figure shit out anyway," the one holding her scoffed and he pushed her away, unfurling his finger from her collar and letting her free, thank the Gods.

She stumbled back this time, partly from the way he pushed her and partly out of her own volition because she just wanted to be away from him. The men fastened their eyes on something behind her, but she didn't pay attention. She just wanted to get away from them. She took another step back and suddenly collided with something. Someone.

She felt a disturbingly large body at her back, firm muscles against her bare skin as someone grabbed her by her shoulders. She thought for a moment he was steadying her, but it quickly occurred to her that he was just trying to hold her back.

Enough of this. She was not gonna let herself be manhandled by these assholes in this place. She elbowed the man's firm stomach swiftly with as much force as she could muster. A shocked gasp echoed behind her ears and his grip on her wavered. That was her chance. She instantly flinched away from him and bolted, past those two jackasses and further into the mine.

She didn't even look back. She just ran until she passed a few chambers and could be relatively sure she got away from them.

If only there was somewhere to actually run here. She might meet them again. There might be others with the same opinions and fears. And what could she do? She hardly had any allies here and the guards were no friendlier. Or maybe that one was a little too friendly the way he kept treating her like some pet.

She had no idea what she was going to do alone in this place.

"Hey! You!"

Another voice disturbed her. Oh Gods. What now?

She debated running again, but she turned around. She wasn't sure if it was a comfort or not to find a guard standing there.

"What the fuck are you doing running around here, prisoner? Work! Now!" He snapped at her, pointing towards a group of Forsworn nearby who were all mining silver from the cavernous walls. There was a heap of pickaxes near them.

"Are you fucking deaf?! Now!" The guard unclasped his whip from his belt and smacked it against the ground promptly. The sound made all the Forsworn in the area flinch, but they got back to work when they noticed it wasn't directed at them.

Maybe nobody would bother her if she actually worked.

She could only hope.

…

"Don't talk to me unless you have something."

The voice of the guard echoed behind Bishop, only followed by the sound of a closing metal gate.

He had been ordered to join the ranks of the prisoners, to strip everything he had, don those prison rags, and have his arms chained. He would have been pissed about it, but the chains still let him move his hands and arms well enough.

He was told some details.

Madanach was kept away from most of his loyal Forsworn in this part of the prison complex. There were mostly prisoners from Markarth itself here – humans and elves. It was the Silver-Bloods' insurance that Madanach didn't have too many allies around, to keep him in line and hopeless. That clearly didn't work if he was planning a revolt anyway.

The nobles were convinced that he still had allies among the prisoners here and among the guards. Bishop needed to make sure to identify them and avoid them. Or maybe use them. They left the details up to him.

Madanach had a 'private cell' of his own that was usually locked to anyone else. He needed to get in there. He had no idea how. But once he had access and once he killed Madanach, he needed to notify the trusty guard so that he could let the Silver-Bloods know. And then he was to wait there for the investigators to come.

In the meantime, whatever he found out, any piece of information, was to be relayed to that very guard in order to have the Silver-Bloods take care of Aeyrin's needs.

That was so fucking frustrating.

And on top of that all, they informed him that Aeyrin would not be here in this part of the complex. Apparently she was sent elsewhere. So he wouldn't even know if the Silver-Bloods held up their part of the deal.

But he had no other choice. He walked further through the corridor until he found himself in a large cavern filled with prisoners mining the walls and a few guards with whips in their hands watching over them.

Where should he even start? He needed to befriend some of the prisoners and find out how things worked here.

"Hey! Stop gawking, prisoner! Work!" One of the guards spotted him and shook his hand at him menacingly.

Ugh. Fuck. Well… maybe that would help him bond with the others in mutual frustration and exhaustion.

He just needed to collect his thoughts anyway. He had never mined anything before, but it really didn't look like a brain-scratcher.

He would just have to figure out his plan while he worked to get the guards off his back.

…

Aeyrin huddled against the wall in exhaustion.

Mining was hard. Her whole body ached from the movements she was not accustomed to. And it didn't make anything better. While she was working there, the Forsworn continued to look at her with disdain and suspicion. One even spat at her feet.

She had no idea what to do and how to ease her situation. She couldn't even tell them she was no spy, couldn't explain why she was here, that the Silver-Bloods were her enemies too. It was so frustrating.

And she was so thirsty. So hungry. She had been here for hours, exerting herself on the mining. The mask and the activity made it even worse, accumulating her heavy breaths under it and making her feel stifled. At one point she tried to approach a guard and gesture that she needed a drink, but the woman just laughed at her maliciously.

There was nobody to help her here. And she hated the mere fact that she could still be rendered so helpless.

Finally the guards called it a day and the prisoners all went… somewhere. Aeyrin just slumped down against the cavernous wall and curled there. She kept reminding herself over and over again that she wasn't really helpless, not with the monster lurking inside her, but it certainly didn't feel that way just then. Her only weapon was not one she was ever willing to use. Not here.

"Hey. What the fuck are you doing?" The guard that previously refused to help her drink suddenly marched towards her. "Night time. Go the fuck to sleep."

What? Where? Aeyrin had no idea where people slept here. Maybe she should have followed the other prisoners but she didn't want to be near them.

She just shook her head and shrugged desperately, mumbling muffled words behind her mask.

"Ugh. Get up," the guard growled at her.

Aeyrin let out a defeated sigh and she got up on shaky legs. The moment she sat down, she didn't feel like she could ever walk again. Everything hurt so much. Getting up was hard.

The guard pointed in one direction and Aeyrin walked there. But apparently it was too slow for the woman's liking. Only a few moments later, she heard a disturbing sound of a cracking whip and a sharp pain spread across her back.

A loud yelp escaped her, enough to make it through the mask, but much less loud than it would have been without it.

Gods, could this place get any worse? And she was damn sure nobody was here to heal her. She felt the burning sting of the mark on her back. She really didn't want any scars from this place.

She tried to rush more and, fortunately, the whip stayed at bay. But the woman kept following.

She directed Aeyrin towards other hallways eventually, until they reached a very large chamber. Countless bedrolls were spread around and the prisoners were all either sitting on them, talking, or already asleep. Aeyrin noticed that some of them quieted when they spotted her only to shoot her more malicious looks.

She noticed a bedroll very far from the others, all the way by the wall. It was perfect. She didn't want to be near any of these people. Maybe they would all leave her alone if she was all the way over there.

She made her way towards it almost too eagerly, ignoring the pain in her extremities, but before she could get too far, someone gripped her by her long hair firmly, yanking her back and letting harsh pain drown her scalp.

Gods, enough already!

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" She recognized the voice of that woman guard. She was still there? "Over there," the woman gestured towards a much more nearby wall and an empty bedroll by it.

Why? What did it matter? It was too close to everyone else. She wanted to be away from them. But maybe she could just move in the night. Right now, she didn't want to be whipped again. Especially not in front of the Forsworn. She was sure they would have loved it.

She obeyed and walked over to the bedroll designated for her, apparently. She heard the guard following without a pause. And when Aeyrin sat down on the bedroll at last, letting her legs rest a bit, the woman produced a chain from her belt.

What?

Before she could react, the guard clasped the chain to her collar and fastened it to a loop in the wall that Aeyrin didn't notice in the dim light. She could do nothing but mumble a muffled protest and give the guard an incredulous look.

"We're told you're too dangerous. You need extra security measures," the woman smirked at her meanly and some of the Forsworn nearby began to whisper. Some began to snicker. She wasn't sure what was worse.

Great. No moving anywhere else. And how was she dangerous with that thing on her mouth? At least as far as the guards were concerned, right? Without her Shouts, how was she any more dangerous than all the Forsworn here? All the trained wild warriors captured in their armed conflicts.

They were just enjoying humiliating her for some reason. Why? Was this the doing of the Silver-Bloods? The Jarl would surely not request this, would he? And this was their mine after all.

The guard finally left when Aeyrin was chained there, walking out of the chamber.

In fact, there were no guards at all in there. Wasn't that strange? They probably waited outside. Still… it made Aeyrin a little uncomfortable with people still staring at her nastily. And it didn't help that she noticed out of the corner of her eye that two women some distance away started to grope each other and kiss. Really? Out in the open like this? Were they going to actually…?

She promptly curled on her bedroll and turned her back to the room, facing the wall. She just wanted a drink of water. She felt so sick from the dehydration. Her stomach was growling loudly, but she could get over that, she just needed some water.

She tried hard to ignore all the whispering and all the sounds. She was exhausted. She wasn't sure if she could sleep with her throat parched like this, scratching her uncomfortably, but she had to try.

It felt like a long time, but her tense body was beginning to relax eventually and her mind began to wander senselessly. Maybe she would fall asleep…

"Hey!"

She suddenly felt a hand around her bare ankle and a hand yanking her. Her chains made noise and she roused with shock. The moment her eyes adjusted a bit to the dim light, she recognized one of the men who had accosted her before.

Dammit. No! Leave me alone.

"You got a lot of fucking nerve running away from me," he growled.

He promptly dragged her by her foot closer to him and he knelt on the ground in front of her. She tried to let out a scream of protest, but barely anything came out. He took a hold of the chain around her neck and pulled it harshly, making her sit up as the metal dug into her neck.

What in the Void did he want from her? Whenever he did something to pull her closer, she felt all the aches in her body even more prominently. That included the stinging in her face from the backhand she received earlier that day, which nobody bothered to heal, when he grabbed her by the chin, his fingers digging into her cheeks.

She thrashed in her grip, escaping his hand and she tried to kick him, but he quickly sat on her legs, putting all his weight on them.

She saw another figure approaching. Gods, that was his friend, wasn't it? She couldn't see properly as her eyes watered with how much pain shot through her whole leg when he shifted a bit.

But then, she saw the other figure grab the man by his long hair. Suddenly the pressure on her legs was gone as the man was dragged to stand up, away from her.

What followed was a swift punch. Her assailant let out a loud grunt of pain as the other man snarled at him.

"What did I tell you?!"

What? What was he doing? He was so enormous. Even more than the man who just attacked her. Even unnaturally muscled for a Breton. She felt like…

Wait, she recognized him!

"Whose fucking side are you on, Anu?!" The attacker spat hatefully.

Anu! That was his name! This was Robin's friend! The one she had helped get the mages from the noblewoman's estate. The one she had seen brought into the mine ages ago. He was from Cael's clan.

"Shut up. Leave her alone and go to sleep," Anu growled at him threateningly. The man wavered for a moment, but he actually started to walk away.

Was it any wonder? A punch from someone as big as Anu must have hurt like the Void.

When the man was gone, Anu squatted down in front of her. She only blinked at him in confusion. He protected her. Was it because of what she had done back then with the mages? She could hardly believe that he was here. Maybe an actual ally.

Though it did sting a little that she needed a huge lummox of a man to protect her. She felt kind of… pathetic.

"Hey, are you alright?" He gave her a gentle, almost cheery smile. That was a bit… shocking from a man who had been in this Oblivion for months.

She nodded hurriedly. She had no idea if the man meant to beat her or get too friendly, but in either case, she was so relieved she never got to find out.

Anu suddenly reached out and she couldn't help but flinch a little, but he only brushed his hand over the leather mask on her face.

"What is this nasty thing?" His gaze followed the chain on her neck and he shook his head incredulously.

Aeyrin only shrugged. She had no way to explain. Didn't it occur to him? He knew who she was.

"Do you remember me?" He asked after a spell and Aeyrin promptly nodded. "Good. Maybe don't elbow me next time then? I was just trying to help," he chuckled.

Oh Gods, that was him? She didn't see the large person who had grabbed her before, she just ran. If she knew it was a friendly face, she would have definitely not elbowed him.

She lowered her head in embarrassment, but he only chuckled again.

"It's fine. I'll live. I've been through worse here," his smile was cheerful, but she could hear the pain behind it.

"I really didn't expect someone like you to show up here," he sighed. "What happened?"

Aeyrin only shook her head. How could she answer him?

"Right. Sorry. That will take some getting used to. Did they not want you to say why you've been arrested? Or… oh! Right. I get it. The Shouting, right?" It finally dawned on him.

Aeyrin nodded. Sometimes she wished people would know she couldn't Shout. Then they would stop silencing her and gagging her. She really had enough of that for a lifetime.

"How do you eat?" Anu scowled suddenly.

She threw up her hands in exasperation. She would sure as the Void love to know the answer to that too.

"I… I'm sure they won't let you starve here or die of thirst. I mean… what would be the point, right? People are supposed to work here. Dead people don't work," he reassured her.

Right. Except for the fact that she wasn't here to work. Something else was going on. Something really disturbing.

"You know… they don't know who you are. Not many of us do," Anu said with a somber tone. "Cael has… special interest in you, since you killed that clan near Karthwasten and the dragon that was harassing us. And almost killed a Silver-Blood," he smirked a little. "But most of the clans don't really concern themselves with Imperial politics or the dragons. And… well… you probably noticed they put us all in here together. I think they wanted us to fight amongst each other like we do out there."

Aeyrin cocked her head to the side. Did they? She knew that Cael said the Forsworn camps were often warring amongst each other, but surely in here they would unite.

"Sometimes we do. Well… often," he scoffed. "But… since we're all in here and we still have one interest in common, we kind of make it work. And I think the Silver-Bloods know it. So now… everyone assumes they sent you here to spy on us, on our plans."

What plans? What plans did the Forsworn have here? Everyone kept saying that.

Aeyrin promptly shook her head though. She couldn't have him thinking this too.

"I know. I know you're their enemy. And you know what Cael says. The enemy of my enemy…" he smiled.

She hadn't seen Cael in over a year and he was still saving her. Even when he wasn't here.

"I'll try to keep them at bay. People don't mess with me here much," Anu grinned. Well… understandable. He was probably the biggest one of them there. But someone clearly still messed with him sometimes. Aeyrin noticed the scars from whips on his chest, even in the dim light. Some looked fresher. "I owe you. For what you did for our clan, for our mages. And… maybe a little on Cael's behalf." He snickered.

Was Cael really still so fascinated with her? He had been before, but she would have thought that would wane overtime. Robin had insinuated that he would have loved to see her too when she was helping with the mages.

Well, she couldn't complain about that. And having a protector like Anu here was certainly not a bad thing, even though it still made her feel weak.

"Hey, you," Anu suddenly poked a man that was already sleeping on the bedroll closest to her. The Forsworn only groggily rolled over and opened his eyes. "Change bedrolls with me."

"Wha… why?" The man mumbled.

"Just go," Anu glared at him. Alright, that was a little intimidating.

The man started to shuffle in his bedroll and he made his hurried exit. Anu clearly intended to take his place.

"Get some rest. You look like you need it," he turned back to Aeyrin and smiled. "I'll stay here in case that asshole gets any ideas again. We'll talk tomorrow. It's too quiet now."

Hmm… too quiet?

What did he want to talk to her about?

But she certainly wouldn't complain about some sense of security just then. If only he had the ability to take off her mask, it would all be much easier.

With her throat scratching unpleasantly, she laid back down and closed her eyes.

Maybe now that she wasn't all alone here, things would start to look up.

…

Mining was fucking exhausting.

And so fucking annoying. And where the fuck did people wash around here? Nobody was washing! Bishop felt like he had a week's worth of sweat accumulated on his body, along with the filth and grime from the surroundings.

And the guards were hovering around while he tried to talk to people. He even got a fucking whip-lash on his back once. And he couldn't clean it.

At some point, he and a few other prisoners were called to 'dinner', which consisted of a filled waterskin and some bread and cheese. Well… it could have been worse. At least the food wasn't too moldy. They clearly needed the prisoners to retain at least some strength.

But Bishop still had no idea who to talk to or how to talk to them. So for now, he just listened and watched.

And it didn't take too long to notice that he wasn't the only one watching.

It wasn't just the guards. There were people here who walked around warily, watching everyone with a carefully measured gaze. And sometimes, he noticed these people approach the solitary cell he had been directed to. Madanach did have allies here. And they were clearly wary of those around. Why? Did they suspect something might happen to the king? Maybe they did. If Madanach was starting some revolt, they probably knew he was at risk.

Bishop figured that getting close to these people would be difficult. They were too full of suspicions and they would definitely be the most suspicious of a new guy. His best bet for now was to approach the other prisoners. He saw the sleeping area in his brief explorations during his dinner break. That place looked like it would be good to talk to someone with how many bedrolls were there close together. Sure, he couldn't ask anything suspicious there where anyone could overhear, but that wasn't his intention yet. He needed to make contact first, to find someone who could tell him how things worked here, who to look out for and stuff like that.

It would have all been so much easier if he hadn't been forced to actually work in this fucking mine.

Well, he would figure something out.

But before they were undoubtedly rushed to sleep, he needed to give the guard something so that the Silver-Bloods would send a mage with food and water to Aeyrin.

Bishop was forced to work for a while yet after dinner, then the guards called it a night. He followed the crowd, but the moment he spotted the familiar guard, he slipped away and approached him. The man was always distant from the crowds of prisoners, guarding the gates.

"Hey," Bishop nodded. "So I saw some people I think might be working with Madanach."

"Names?" The guard urged him.

"What? I don't have their names, I don't know anyone here," Bishop scoffed.

"So what are you gonna do? Give me a tour of the mines and point to anyone you find suspicious? And are you even sure they are working with him, or are you just giving me vague shit so that I give the Silver-Bloods a good word?" The guard gave him a mocking smirk.

Well… that was… a fair point. And a fair concern.

"Find out for sure and give me names. Then your girl gets fed, understood?"

Fuck.

He had already left her without any means for almost a whole day. He needed to hurry this shit up. He wasn't sure how to do this though. This felt like something he would need a long time for, to establish himself here, but he was pathetically short of time.

Frustratingly enough, he had nothing to tell that man now. He could only hope that Aeyrin was alright.

But he did have complaints.

"How the fuck do you expect me to do anything when I gotta work all the fucking day?" Bishop growled.

"Did you want to be the only one not working here? Because that would definitely make people trust you more, right? Maybe we should have brought you in on a fucking palanquin too," the guard rolled his eyes at Bishop.

Alright… again… fair.

"Fine, whatever, I'll figure it out. But how am I supposed to kill Madanach when I don't even have a weapon?" Bishop hissed. Snapping someone's neck was not that easy. He tried before. It required a lot of strength. Usually only guys twice his size could pull that off. And it was not even a guaranteed kill. Choking was usually messy too and it took way too long.

"You're one shitty ass assassin, I can tell you that," the guard shook his head at him.

"I'm not an assassin," Bishop grumbled under his breath. Maybe the Silver-Bloods should have fucking spared the money if they wanted a professional.

"Do I have to figure out everything for you? Get a fucking shiv or something," the man sighed in exasperation.

Hmm… a shiv?

"Where do I get one?"

"Yeah, they don't hand them out with your lunch," the man growled. "Find someone who makes them, genius. Beat him up until he gives you one or offer him your ass for all I fucking care. I'm not your nanny."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Bishop grumbled. This guy was no fucking help at all.

He turned on his heel and headed towards the sleeping area. He'd better talk to someone else. Find someone actually helpful.

He made his way to the sleeping chamber at last. There were two guards outside of it and they both threw him a glare. Was he late or something? For sleeping? Was that a thing? But maybe it was here – they probably needed all their sheep herded in one place so that they could slack off for the night.

The chamber was filled with prisoners, most of them still not asleep. That was good.

Bishop promptly located an empty bedroll and plopped down on his back. Fuck, his whole body ached. Especially his whipped back. But he was not used to those heavy movements he had to exert during mining either and his muscles felt sore. He stretched his arms behind his back, letting his joints crack and rolling his neck a little. That felt a bit better.

There was a middle-aged Nord man beside him, settling into his bedroll and he gave him a knowing smirk.

"New here, huh?" His voice was full of somber understanding.

"Yeah, guess I needed a change," Bishop scoffed. "How long have you been here?"

"Three years. It tends to blur together, but this guy likes to remind us," he inclined his head towards a young man snuggled in his bedroll near them. He was almost hidden in the fur, but his eyes were visible. He was watching them.

"I only have five months on my sentence left," he peeked out a little more from the furs and a wistful smile decorated his face.

Huh? What?

"Idiot," the older man rolled his eyes. "He still thinks he's getting out of here."

"The Jarl said I'm only here for a year! I just stole some shit from the market!" The young guy pouted.

"He said it so that you don't fight back or whine," the older one scoffed. "Just you wait. In five months, you're gonna start demanding to be let out and the guards will call you insubordinate and pile another sentence on you. Nobody's getting out of here."

Yeah, that was more like what Bishop knew about the mine. It was still a little shocking that the young guy only stole from the market to deserve this, but that was how things worked around here, apparently.

"What about you?" The young man turned his eyes to Bishop, clearly intent on ignoring the old one's predictions. "How long are you here for?"

"No one told me," Bishop shrugged. He wasn't gonna tell them he was actually gonna be let out. If that was even the case. The Silver-Bloods could just… leave him here. Who would stop them?

His hope was only that Aeyrin would be let out and she would fight for his release then.

"Yeah, they usually don't even bother coming up with a sentence," the older man scoffed once more. "So, what are you in for?"

Hmm… what was he in for? What should he say? It might be a good idea to establish some kind of a reputation here. He knew how shit like this worked back in the bandit clans – reputation was everything among them. If there were bandits around like this young guy, they would be eaten alive. He needed to be intimidating. But he needed allies too.

"I killed a noble," Bishop nodded. It was the reason why he was here, technically. And it would hopefully serve him well. "Fucking asshole deserved it. They're all the same," he growled. Hopefully this would also lean the suspicions away from him a bit – he didn't wanna be presumed a Silver-Blood pawn, no matter how true it was right now.

The older man nodded in understanding, but the younger one looked a bit disturbed.

"In… like in self-defense? Was he hurting you?" He whispered.

"Nope. Just had it fucking coming," Bishop scowled.

"Guards won't be too keen on you," the older guy sighed. "They're all in their pockets."

Not all of them. Some, apparently, were in Madanach's pocket. Whether there even was a pocket to speak of. Did Madanach have wealth? Why did people turn on his side when they weren't Forsworn? What could an imprisoned king get them?

Maybe it was the revolt shit. Maybe it was the image of their freedom he dangled in front of their faces. It would be a tempting prospect in this shithole.

"It's fucked up," Bishop sighed. He wasn't sure how to ask about guards who weren't in the Silver-Bloods' pockets without sounding fucking suspicious. "There's nobody here who could at least give us a fucking break? I'm exhausted."

"Not that I've seen in my two years here," the older man shook his head.

"Some are not so bad, if you're nice to them," the younger one piped up, but he quickly hid his face into the furs. Bishop's eyes were promptly drawn to the older one – he was making a face.

"Ah," Bishop huffed. That was not what he was looking for. It was probably good that the young man found a way to make shit more tolerable here, if he didn't mind paying this way, but that was not on Bishop's agenda regarding how to get information here. "Anyone I should look out for?" he asked outright. It wasn't a weird question in a prison, right?

"That one that guards the south gate. He's an asshole," the older man whispered.

Right. Bishop's contact. That's just… great.

"There are… some prisoners you don't wanna mess with too," the older man continued quietly, but he was clearly not going to point anyone out. That would be dangerous in this place – anyone could overhear.

"Figures," Bishop shrugged. "I've been to… similar places before. I assume the new guy's the first to get fucked up when someone needs to blow off steam, right?" That's how it was with the bandits at least. "Anyone that could help me get some… protection?" Bishop's words quieted as well. He needed a weapon. The silver was watched too much for him to nab a piece and even if he did, he wasn't sure how he would ever mold it into something sharp. Didn't silver need to be really heated to do that?

"Nothing's free around here. You know that, right?" The older man sighed. "And maybe you won't need it. Most people here are thieves, they don't mess with killers."

"I'd rather not rely on that," Bishop muttered. Sure, he was hoping his reputation would spread like wildfire, but he wasn't gonna just assume that nobody would harm a killer. Besides, what was he thinking? It wasn't about protection. He almost got too absorbed in his own lies. He was here to kill.

"There is someone," the older man's voice quieted even more into a very meek whisper. "He's dangerous."

"He hurts people," the young man peeped from under his covers with a scared tone in his voice.

It was… weird for Bishop. These guys were actually freaked out by someone hurting someone else. He adapted to his old persona so easily it was almost disturbing. He didn't bat an eye over something they might consider an atrocity. He had to keep reminding himself that he was not back in the clans. That these were actually mostly harmless people – petty thieves, desperate beggars and addicts. And they all got locked up with the killers and the thugs and the rapists.

"I can handle him," Bishop shrugged. "Who is he?"

"I'll… point you there tomorrow during breakfast," the older man promised.

That was better than Bishop had expected. He might actually make some progress tomorrow. Though he wasn't sure how much he needed to do to help Aeyrin. He already felt so fucking guilty for dragging his feet and not being able to help her tonight.

He really hoped she was alright in there.

…

Aeyrin was woken up rather harshly with a shake of her shoulder.

She had no idea where she was for a moment. Her throat felt like she had been munching on the sand of the Alik'r Desert. Everything hurt. But the throat was the worst. And the hungry clenching in her stomach.

But the hand on her shoulder was insistent. It kept shaking her until her whole body moved along with it.

"Hmmph…" a muffled protest escaped her lips. She remembered the obstruction on her face. And everything that happened yesterday. It was still hard to believe.

"Come on, get up," a male voice tried to rally her. She did open her eyes reluctantly only to see the freckled Breton face with black war paint around its brown eyes staring down at her. Anu. "If you don't wake up on your own, they kick you awake."

Aeyrin promptly got up at that note, but when she did, her head started to spin and she felt nauseous. Everything felt blurry.

Gods, just give me some water, please.

Her mouth tasted funny and unpleasant. And she wanted to smell anything but old leather for a change.

"It's time for breakfast," Anu noted. "Though I don't know how… uhm…"

Aeyrin only shrugged. She didn't know either. She had to try and get one of the guards' attention and hope they would release her for breakfast at least.

Which reminded her of another problem.

Anu got up from his bedroll, ready to head out of the sleeping chamber, but she could only give him a desperate look as she yanked the chain around her neck a bit, fastened to the wall.

"Ah. Right. Shit, they really went nuts on you, didn't they?" He shook his head in disbelief. "I'll go get one of the guards to let you out of it."

Aeyrin let out a muffled sigh. He was right. She didn't understand this. Sure, they all thought she was dangerous with her Shouts, but why leave her chained like this? It would have been more understandable to chain a huge guy like Anu, if anything.

But there was not much she could do but watch Anu disappear before he came back with a guard. He actually stood there, right next to the armed and armored man and he glared at him all through the process. Like he was the one in charge. Like he was the one the guard should be afraid of.

It was encouraging. She couldn't have gotten a better protector. She still wished she could be her own protector in this place, but how could she? She was useless like this. And she felt so sick and dizzy from dehydration. She couldn't do a thing.

She had been secretly hoping she could cajole some favors out of people here – have someone with influence maybe convince the guards to feed her and give her water. She didn't know who had any influence here. Anu seemed to, but if his influence did any good to her with the guards, he would have already surely asked them.

And that plan went out of the window anyway. She hoped she could help the prisoners with their whip-lashes, but she soon found out that her handcuffs were suppressing magic. It made sense, of course. But it was a bitter realization as her back burned unpleasantly from her own slash. She hoped she could at least reach some of it overnight, but she couldn't heal a thing.

She was unchained at last and she tried to stand up. Her head swirled for a moment and she had to steady herself against the wall. Gods, this was awful. And it's been only a day since she had drunk something. The heat in the mine made it worse. She had no idea she could ever be too hot in Skyrim. She was almost grateful for the flimsy clothes with missing back, if it weren't for the slash she had there.

"Come here, you need some water," Anu nodded at her with sympathy and he outstretched his hand to her in order to support her on their way. She was grateful for that. She wasn't sure if she could walk straight right now.

But she had no idea where she was going to get that water.

Anu led her out of the chamber and stopped by the guards waiting there. She could have sworn he puffed out his bare, scarred chest a little as he gave them a sort of an intimidating nod. And his large muscles flexed. Funny, he looked so easy-going and cheerful when she met him. Well, sometimes he did look like that here too. But the way he spoke to people around was quite intimidating. Maybe the mine hardened him. Or maybe he could always act like some kind of a scary enforcer, she just hadn't had the chance to see it yet.

"Hey! She needs to drink. She'll pass out if you don't give her some water," he scowled at the guards.

"What's it to you, Forsworn scum?" One of the guards spat, but Anu threw her a look that felt like it could actually kill. The guard even looked apologetic.

"We can't," the other guard shook his head at Anu desperately. "Do you know what she is? She'll kill us all if we take it off."

Aeyrin promptly shook her head, but that made her even dizzier. She wasn't going to kill anyone! She didn't have a way how. But she was getting worried. Her thoughts became less and less clear with the lack of water and she worried they might… make her turn. That would be horrible. She couldn't let herself do that here. The werewolf would either get killed after a bloody rampage, or it would win, but leave behind so many innocent prisoners of a pointless war.

"She's not gonna kill you, right?" Anu turned to her and she shook her head again. This time she clung more firmly to his hand when she did that though.

"Sorry, we can't. We don't even have a way of doing that. The Silver-Bloods have the only key to that thing. They said they'll handle it. I don't know what that means," the man sighed.

What? The Silver-Bloods were gonna feed her? But… why haven't they sent someone to do that then? Or were they gonna do it themselves? Was this some creepy game devised as revenge by Thongvor? He would let her almost pass out from thirst and then he would go 'mercifully' help her and laugh at her in such a pathetic state?

Or maybe they were just planning to let her die there.

"Come on," Anu suddenly yanked her away from the guards. He seemed determined and she had no idea what he was going to do.

He led her through the chambers, all the way to the back of the mine while the other Forsworn sat around, munching on bread, cheese and other simple foods. Some threw them hateful looks, but some actually gave Anu an amicable nod as he passed.

They stopped at a dead end, but she knew why instantly. There was a natural alcove in the cavernous wall there and it was filled with water.

"I know it's shit and not much will go through, but it's still leather, not steel. Just… try to get your head in. It's clean enough. It's where we get the stuff for our waterskins anyway," Anu gave her a gentle smile.

Alright. What other choice did she have? She needed some water at least.

She knelt down by the pool of undoubtedly freezing water and she quickly submerged her head. It was so cold, but for once, she welcomed it. She knew her mask was put on very tightly, but she could feel moisture accumulating by her lips and at the sides of her cheeks. She waited, waited until at least some water made it into her eagerly open mouth.

It was pathetic. Barely more than a single gulp made it in, and then she had to take a breath and do it all over again. She did this several times until she felt her head was too cold and started to hurt.

Her throat felt a tiny bit better. But drowning herself did not help the dizziness in the slightest.

"Better?" Anu brushed back her wet hair from her face as she gasped and shivered.

She shrugged when she could. It was a little better.

"Sorry. Best I can think of," he sighed. She knew it wasn't his fault.

Anu stayed silent for a while and then he looked around the room carefully. The chamber was empty. The guards were more interested in watching the prisoners eat and Anu and Aeyrin slipped by so quickly.

"Listen, I know the shit they say," Anu whispered to her after a while. "Nobody gets out of Cidhna Mine. We were intimidated by this shit too, you know, when our pillagers warned us to be careful on raids."

Aeyrin flinched a bit at his speech about 'raids' and 'pillagers', but she nodded at him slowly.

"It's not gonna be true for long. Tensions are rising and… there are plans in place. When I was taken, it was during a skirmish with the Legion. They ambushed us when we were negotiating peace with another clan. Peace in order to… prepare for the day."

The 'day'? What day? Aeyrin cocked her head at him in confusion.

"So many of us were taken, but that only serves in our favor," Anu continued to whisper. "We're planning it all already. From the inside and the outside, we'll be able to take what's rightfully ours. We have contacts, we have cause and we're more united here than out there. We can communicate with the outside and when everything is ready…"

He didn't continue for now, but she got the gist. Was he actually talking about attacking Markarth? Seriously? That was what the whole 'from the inside and the outside' was about, right? What did all that mean? A prison revolt, an attack on the city by the Forsworn prisoners and the clans on the outside too? Could that actually happen?

Suddenly, Aeyrin wished she was anywhere but here when the 'day' of his would come. She hoped that it was just the usual Forsworn blind faith in their cause. Maybe he was delusional. That sounded insane. The prisoners were unarmed and the clans were not very united, right? And what were they waiting for if they were so ready? They clearly weren't as ready as Anu made it sound.

That would be such a bloodbath.

She couldn't help but shiver and she knew it wasn't just from the cold hair tickling her back.

Suddenly Anu's next words didn't feel all that comforting.

"Just hang in there. This isn't forever. We'll get out of here, whatever it takes."