Welcome back! I wasn't expecting to be updating today but I managed to squeeze in more writing last night and this morning. I apologize for any errors, only so many I can catch when I proofread and have no beta. If you do spot something, please let me know! :)
Chapter 3
Her hopes and plans were wasted. The steward immediately refused her request to adopt Aventus as her ward and live in his family's estate. She knew it would not not be an easy thing to ask for and be given permissions and rights to but she at least hoped to state her intentions before being shooed from the Palace of Kings. She couldn't see their faces but Lucretia felt the eyes of the Stormcloak guards follow her–mocking her.
It was sheer anger and despair that led her to the door of the temple. Her hesitation lasted but a moment before she pushed past the heavy door into the chilled interior; the sanctum was lit by numerous candles and lanterns that cast flickering shadows between the stones. At the apse stood the statue of mighty Talos slaying a serpent, she could almost imagine herself standing in his place, stabbing all who hurt her and those she loved. The excitement coupled with her despair left a sickening feeling in her stomach.
With no other worshippers present Lucretia moves to stand before the shrine, gazing up at the stone face of a man-turned-god seemingly staring down at her. If there is any place she is allowed to show her weakness it should be in the presence of a god, she allowed one, two, too many to count tears to slide down her cold cheeks, heating her skin slightly before they cooled and dried only to be replaced with more. She whispered, "What would you do?"
The silence was deafening.
With a shuddering breath, Lucretia stepped back and found a place to sit on a wooden pew. It was as cold and uncomfortable as the rest of the temple but at least she could sit while praying. She lit a small flame between her hands to give herself some warmth. Time seemed to drag yet blurred past and before she knew it no more light peaked through the windows.
The shadows darkened completely and it felt like the Void was reaching out with black tendrils slowly making their way from the shadows towards her. Lucretia closed her eyes and cupped her flame-lit hands closer to her chest, heart racing and her breath feeling more shallow.
'I am not a child frightened of the dark. I am not afraid. I am not–'
Lucretia's heart lurched and flames died when the door to the Temple was roughly opened and slammed shut, the darkness retreated to the edges again. Angry muttering followed the would-be intruder and when she quickly peeked over her shoulder the only features she could make out were those of a stocky Nord man. She told herself that it was out of politeness that she turned away from him before he noticed her staring.
His muttering paused before loudly grunting in what she suspected as annoyance at finally noticing her. He made his way to the front to stand below Talos just as she had done. He had not spared a glance back at her. Not wanting to intrude, she bowed her head and silently finished off her prayer for strength before standing and heading for the door. She didn't look back but she was certain she was being watched; it could have been her frayed nerves from earlier creeping back in and making her skin crawl.
Lucretia made her way back to the inn as quickly as she could without slipping on the ice covered stones. Once inside the warm, better lit interior of Candlehearth Hall, she instantly felt lighter. The oppression that seemed to be hounding her lifted and she could breathe again.
'Gods! I need a drink.'
She heads up to Elda and orders a bottle of mead, something she considered a necessary expense at the moment. On her way back to her room, Susanna catches her eye as she approaches from the kitchen, silently gesturing for them to enter her room away from the listening ears of Elda. "I am sorry for your loss. Elda may have been a bit… dismissive. Were you able to speak with Jorleif? You were gone for a long time."
"Thank you, Susanna. And no, he wouldn't hear a word I had to say on the matter. I imagine being an Imperial did not help. I stopped by the temple on my way back."
She made a sucking noise with her teeth as her face screwed up into a scowl. "Stubborn Nord. Maybe you should try again?"
"I had considered heading back in the morning to speak with him, though I am of the mind that it will be a repeat of this evening."
"It is worth the effort, what you are trying to do is a good thing, you want to bring a boy back to his home, no doubt the Gods will favor you for it. If that fails, perhaps you could just adopt him and live somewhere else?"
Lucretia shook her head but how she wished she could agree to that plan; she could easily picture it in her mind: heading to Riften, having a tearful reunion with her cousin–aside from that fact he was merely a year old when they first met and wouldn't remember her–before returning to that quaint little village she passed on her way to Whiterun, Val would find them and they would start their own farm or shop or…or something! She stomped down her daydream when Susanna gave her a sad smile and bid her goodnight.
Finally closing the door behind her and ensuring it was locked, Lucretia sank into the chair in her room and sipped at the mead. Just as it was named, the Honningbrew was sweet but the events and emotions of the day left it sour on her tongue. 'What a waste.'
Over the course of a few days Lucretia made attempts to meet with Jorleif every morning and evening; he was still adamantly refusing to speak with her. She felt it was a small blessing that she never actually saw or encountered the Jarl during her visits, though raised voices could occasionally be heard from one of the side halls.
She also continued her visits to the Temple of Talos in the early evening just after she gave up on waiting to speak with Jorleif. Each night, the same Nord man from before would come to pray an hour or so after her; a few times she had attempted to speak with him but each ended in failure for his lack of response, there was only one time he made an acknowledgement of her her small talk and it was when she commented on her failed attempts to speak with Jorleif about Aventus–he grunted at her! She stopped trying after that and accepted the silent, easy camaraderie of being fellow worshippers. When she would leave for the night, she was sure he watched her.
Between her attempts of hounding Jorleif and praying to the Divines, Lucretia also made time to explore the city while she waited, wanting to familiarize herself with the layout and shops as well as its people. She had the misfortune of running into a Nord by the name of Rolff, a piece of work that one. She did her best to avoid him but sometimes he seemed to come looking for her in order to harass her for being an Imperial spy and whatever derogatory words his drunken tongue can pronounce.
The few who were most welcoming were Susanna and Brunwulf Free-Winter, the latter a witness to her plights with Jorleif; it was through a discussion with him that led her to rethinking her approach. As he had told her, she was a newcomer with no history in the city and no definitive relation to anyone; she had also refused to disclose her letters to anyone for fear that they will realize she is not who she completely says she is, it was better to simply be known as just Cassia the Imperial with no ties to anyone important in Cyrodiil. One thing she did disclose to Brunwulf was her ability to cast the novice spell flames but little else. While he encouraged her to keep that to herself, he made the suggestion of learning some restoration. The least likely magic to get her driven out of the city if being an annoying Imperial didn't do the trick. Only a day ago he had made the suggestion to her and it seemed her best bet to establish herself to the Nords. The tension between the Empire and the Stormcloak were worsening by the day with occasional skirmishes and the men and women of the Stormcloak army were suffering from the lack of healers.
Though it was easier said than done since not many restoration healers were known in Stormcloak territory; the only ones he could name were Colette Marence of the College of Winterhold–Lucretia did not have the time to formally join the college–and Priestess Danica Pure-Spring of the Temple of Kynareth in Whiterun, who technically is not part of Stormcloak territory–this one gave her a small measure of hope since she has already met Danica prior to her journey to Windhelm.
That night in the Temple about an hour after the unnamed Nord arrived, she found the courage to speak to him again. "I am leaving tomorrow and I don't know when I will be returning." For the first time in days he looks directly at her, dark green eyes seeming to ask the question he doesn't speak. "I'll be heading to Whiterun to speak with the Priestess of Kynareth, Danica. I want to learn to heal, I want… I want to help. I need to do this, I have nothing else now and by doing this I hope to be reunited with my younger cousin. Becoming a healer will also be a way for me to support us." She gives a dry chuckle, rubbing a palm to her eyes and wiping away tears that had barely developed. With nothing else to say Lucretia stands, planning to retire for the night since she intended to leave by daybreak; she makes it only 2 steps before he speaks to her.
His voice was low and hoarse, "Why do you pray here?" When she doesn't respond right away he continues. "You are Imperial, Talos is not your God."
Lucretia gaped before the surprise fades to anger and she glared at him over her shoulder meeting his gaze as she challenged, "This is a temple, is it not? A place of worship for this God and any of the Divines." She turns to him fully, practically baring her teeth. "Yes, I am an Imperial. Yes, I am too young to remember the Great War and the banning of Talos but he was a God my father worshiped and his fathers before him. Why should I be any different? Are you saying I cannot pray to mighty Talos for strength, for myself and others?" Her teeth and jaw were starting to hurt from how hard she was grinding them.
He stands and walks towards her, standing nearing a head taller and dark green eyes meet lighter green in a glaring contest. Her palms begin to sweat as she prepares to summon her flames should she need to defend herself from him. He may be bigger and definitely stronger than her but any man is right to fear the burn of flames. His sudden guffaw surprises her enough that her tension fades and he claps a large hand to her shoulder, nearly knocking her down with how heavy it seemed. "You've surprised me. You say your father was a Nord? Must be him that gave such a short lass this much spirit; you'll need it in Skyrim. You are always welcome to pray to Talos, just as anyone else." With his hand on her shoulder he guides her back towards the door and walks beside her. "It is good that you wish to help, should you return as a healer, the Stormcloaks could surely make use of your talents. Now you have an early morning, best go to sleep little Imperial."
She shrugs his hand off her shoulder and steps out into the blister cold. "My name is Cassia."
He chuckles as he steps to the left of her, "Jorleif may have mentioned your name a couple times followed by how…persistent you are. Talos watch over you, Cassia." He continues on his way towards wherever he lives. 'Rude. It's only considerate to tell someone your name too.' She returns to the inn, none the wiser that someone else was watching her from the shadows now.
"She is perfect! I will need nothing and no one else! Soon…soon! Sweet sister, we will be together again soon!" Hysterical laughter haunts the house as he continues to mutter to himself.
Is anyone curious about the timeline of events so far? I'll take that as a yes! I'll keep it brief, I promise!
Morning Star (AKA January)
1st: Lucretia escapes through the Pale Pass, 3rd: Somehow stumbles into Falkreath alive, 9th: Lucretia passes through Riverrun and gets to Whiterun, 10th-17th: Lucretia harasses Jorleif and prays A LOT
See? Short and sweet! As you should have been able to glean thus far is that the story begins only a few months prior to Alduin's return, that bit will remain canon while Lucretia will influence events from her side a bit sooner, not quite willingly though.